


The Balancing

by AtraEris



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Seelie!Isabelle, Shadowhunter!Magnus, Shadowhunter!Maia, Shadowhunter!Meliorn, Shadowhunter!Simon, Species Swap, Warlock!Alec, Werewolf!Jace, vampire!clary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 21:05:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15614997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtraEris/pseuds/AtraEris
Summary: A Shadowhunter’s Freaky Fridayfeaturing Vamp!Clary, Fae!Isabelle, Werewolf!Jace, and Warlock!Alec along with Shadowhunter!Magnus, Shadowhunter!Meliorn, Shadowhunter!Maia, and Shadowhunter!Simon)If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” – Henry Wadsworth LongfellowA flash of light, and their secrets, their struggles, their lives have all been turned upside down. When 4 Shadowhunters and 4 Downworlders activate an ancient ritual site, they will learn just what it is to be in another’s shoes.Secrets are revealed, romances are kindled, old friendships are tested and new ones minted. Who says the grass is always greener on the other side?





	1. The Coast

  
[](https://imgur.com/H4MOTcg)  


Chapter 1: The Coast

This was utterly ridiculous. How had it come to this? It was like no one actually took anything seriously anymore now that Valentine was gone. They were supposed to be on a mission! This wasn’t some fun field trip. Alec brooded as he strode across the meadow toward the beach. Isabelle poked him in the side. 

“Come on, Alec,” she teased, “Loosen up.” 

“This is supposed to be a survey mission.” Alec said bitterly. 

“And who says we can’t do the mission and enjoy ourselves at the same time?” Isabelle argued sticking her tongue out at him and jogging back to the rest of the group.

Magnus strode up next to Alec and casually twined their fingers together. “Yes, Alexander. Do relax. It’s a gorgeous day, this is a gorgeous area, and you’ve been granted two days to enjoy it!”

Alec sighed, “I was granted two days to survey an area of interest with potential Shadow Energy.”

Magnus pouted at him a bit and leaned close, his lips hovering just shy of pressing against Alec’s. “Are you saying that you aren’t enjoying having some free time to stroll around with me?” 

A small smile tugged at Alec’s lips and he squeezed their still joined hands, his shoulders relaxing a bit. “It isn’t you,” Alec confessed, shooting a glance at the entourage that was traipsing around in the grass behind them. 

Isabelle and Clary were now turning flips through the clearing and teaching Maia and Simon to cartwheel, Jace showing off with his extensive acrobatics, and Meliorn lingering just outside the group, his arms crossed and eyes glued to Simon. 

Jace and Clary had been in the Hunter’s Moon when Alec came to tell them about the mission. He’d informed them that they should pack some light supplies and get ready to head to the coast. Maia had butted in with a sigh of envy, “Oh, the coast! Are you guys going on vacation?” 

Alec shook his head and opened his mouth to reply as Simon strode past and sat down next to Clary, Meliorn following after him and choosing to stand watch in the corner. 

Clary raised her eyebrow at Simon, “What’s with your shadow?” 

Simon shrugged, refusing to look at the Seelie Knight who wasn’t taking his eyes off him. “I think it’s the Seelie Queen’s newest attempt to figure out how I’m a Daylighter. He’s been following me everywhere. Just ignore him. Did someone say vacation?” 

Maia smiled and nodded to the Shadowhunters. “They’re going to the coast.” 

“The coast?” Simon said with glee. “When?” 

“We leave tomorrow,” Alec said, opening his mouth to explain, “but..” 

He was cut off again by Isabelle who joined the group, “Did you guys hear?” She squealed with delight. “We’re going to the coast!” 

She gripped Clary’s hand and pulled her up from the stool she was on, “Come on! We have to go get new swimsuits, and sunglasses, and…” She was trailing off as she hauled on Clary’s arm. 

Maia folded her apron coming out from behind the bar for the end of her shift, “I’m so jealous,” she sighed, “I haven’t been to the beach in sooo long!” 

Isabelle looped her arm through Maia’s, leading the three girls towards the door, “Then you should come with us! It’ll be fun.”

“Izzy!” Alec said sternly, “This isn’t a vacation, it’s a mission.” Isabelle waved her hand. “Yeah, yeah, all work and no play, I got it.” She turned with a smile to Simon, “You should come too!” 

Simon grinned, “Yeah, sounds great.” He shot a look at his escort in the corner who stared stone-faced at him. 

Alec sighed admitting defeat and just said, “I’ll invite Magnus.”

And that was how they’d all ended up on this outing: four Shadowhunters; a werewolf; a Daylighter; a Seelie Knight; and the High Warlock of Brooklyn. 

Alec looked on at the smile of delight on his sister’s face and shook his head. He couldn’t say the trip wasn’t going to be interesting. Isabelle was one of his weaknesses and she knew it. Alec would do almost anything to put a smile on his sister’s face.

“Let’s go you lot!” Alec yelled at them. “If this is going to be a vacation, we need to get the scouting part out of the way early so we can enjoy it.” 

Isabelle squealed in delight and bounded over to her brother, plowing into him in a hug. 

“So, what are you guys supposed to be checking out anyway?” Simon asked.

Alec pried himself away from Izzy and jerked his head toward the nearby cliffs. “There’s been some kind of Shadow activity in that cavern area. We are supposed to go check it out.”

“Sweet! Cave exploration!” Simon said with glee, traipsing past Alec and slapping him on the shoulder as he passed, Meliorn following him close behind. 

“What?” Alec said, completely bewildered at the friendly gesture as most of the rest of the group stalked past him. 

“We’re staying at a condo over there,” Izzy pointed to the right, away from the cliffs, “we should go drop off our stuff before checking it out.”

Alec started walking again his jaw clenched with annoyance. 

“Yes,” he said pointedly, grabbing Izzy’s wrist and pulling her to be level with him. Clary and Jace were just behind him and the group of downworlders a few steps ahead. “We,” Alec gestured to the Shadowhunters present, “will go check it out. You lot,” he nodded his chin at the downworlders, “will stay in the condo.” 

“Awww, come on,” Simon pouted, “you get to go see the neat cliff caves and we have to stay put?”

“This isn’t a sightseeing trip,” Alec said angrily, “this is a scouting mission. A Shadowhunter scouting mission. None of you are even supposed to be here.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him, “Oh?” he asked coyly. 

Alec sighed. “Ok, I invited you for consultation on the Shadow Energy, but that’s different.” 

Izzy, Clary and Jace moved forward past him to join the rest of the group headed toward the condo. Jace threw his arm around Alec’s shoulder, “Come one, man, lighten up. It isn’t like none of them have ever been involved in a Shadowhunter mission before. Besides, isn’t one of the points that the energy is calling to Downworlders? Maybe their senses will help us figure out what’s over there.”

“Face it, Lightwood,” Maia said with a smile over her shoulder, “you need us.” 

Alec shook off Jace’s arm. Coming to a stop and taking a long deep breath. This mission was going to try his patience to the limit. Magnus rejoined him and smiled seeming to know exactly what Alec was thinking. He ran a thumb across the back of Alec’s hand leaning forward to whisper at his lover’s ear as they both looked forward at the band of young adults joking and pushing and laughing ahead of them. 

“Think of it as training,” Magnus said softly against the shell of Alec’s ear. 

Despite himself, Alec’s mouth tugged up into a half smile as he let out a snort of disbelief, “For what?” 

Magnus placed a hand at the back of Alec’s neck, toying with the hair at the nape before pressing a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth and pulling back, eyes glinting mischievously. “For when we have children of our own who will try your patience,” he said with a smile, leaving Alec momentarily dumbstruck as Magnus followed behind the group shouting above the chatter, “Come darlings, we must get the work out of the way or Alexander will absolutely combust.” 

The group entered into the condo, dropping their things in the spacious living room as Alec spread a map out on the kitchen counter.

“All right,” he said seriously, “this is the area we are supposed to survey.” Alec gestured to a section of cliffs a few miles down the coast. “There is some sort of ancient cavern over there and it has been sending out Shadow energy pulses. We need to go check it out and make sure it isn’t a threat.” 

Simon rolled his eyes. “Everything is a threat to you guys.” 

Jace glared at him. “We’re the ones that keep the peace.”

Maia snorted, “I’m sorry, whose group was hell bent on destroying everyone? I do believe it was a Shadowhunter that instigated all out war the last time I checked.”

Clary butted in. “Valentine doesn’t represent the Shadowhunters! We fought against him to protect you, all of you.”

Meliorn raised a brow. “There were plenty who followed him. And if the Shadowhunters could have policed their own like they attempt to police us, he would not have posed a threat to begin with.”

“We don’t police the Downworlders,” Izzy tried, but was cut off by Maia.

“I’m sorry what? A few of your kind get slaughtered and all of a sudden we’re getting trackers embedded in us! Our kinds die in droves at the hands of Shadowhunters without a damn bit of evidence to ensure they are guilty before execution!”

Izzy’s eyes narrowed. “A Shadowhunter would never kill a Downworlder just because.”

Simon looked at her seriously, “Valentine did. His followers did. It took little to nothing for Shadowhunters to become convinced that Downworlders were to blame for all their problems.”

Clary looked at him sympathetically, “Valentine was a mistake. We showed everyone that. It’ll take some time, but Shadowhunters aren’t going to be against the Downworlders anymore. We are going to fix things.” She reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. “We’re going to bring everyone back to the same page again.” 

Meliorn lifted his chin. “And what page is that exactly? The one where we Downworlders pretend to be grateful for Shadowhunters following our every step? Where we simply forget about the weapon held by Shadowhunters with the ability to end the lives of all Downworlders? On the same page? You mean back to the status quo where in fear for our lives we bow to your rules?”

“The Soul Sword is a Mortal Instrument given to us by the Angel Raziel,” Jace countered, “it is an angelic relic and thus belongs to the Shadowhunters.” 

Meliorn smiled cooly. “Because you possess angelic blood?”

“Exactly.” Jace affirmed crossing his arms. 

Meliorn leaned across the table. “As do we,” he said softly, “wouldn’t it make more sense for such a weapon to be held by those both with the blood it can vanquish and the blood that can wield it?”

Magnus cut in. “Now is not the time for politics.” He looked meaningfully at Meliorn a silent conversation playing between the two that they had clearly had several times. 

“Listen,” Alec began, “nothing is ever perfect. But right now, the focus is on a mission. We are here to make sure that whatever is in that cavern doesn’t pose a danger to anyone, Shadowhunter, Downworlder, or Mundane.” He met the eyes of everyone around the counter.

“If things go well, if we can work together, maybe I can sanction some more joint missions, bring about more intercooperation to bridge the gap. None of this is easy to solve and it isn’t going to be corrected overnight.” 

They all mumbled their agreement. Alec laid out the plan and path to the cavern and 20 minutes later everyone was set to go.


	2. The Old Switcheroo

Chapter 2: The old Switcheroo

“Sooo,” Maia said as they all trekked across the beach toward the cliffs in question, “I couldn’t help but notice that there are only four rooms at the condo.” 

Isabelle smiled at her, her expression mischievous as she said with a shrug, “The original plan was for the four of us to come. We’ll just have to double up.” 

Alec chanced a look behind him, running his eyes over the group and assessing dynamics. Jace threw an arm around Clary, “I’ll room with Clary,” he said with a tone that indicated he was volunteering to make things easier, but his sultry smile in her direction beguiled his intentions. 

Maia and Simon exchanged looks both looking away as soon as their eyes met. Izzy’s eyes drifted over Meliorn, but the Fae Knight’s gaze never left the Daylighter he was tracking. 

Alec shook his head, “Oh no you don’t. I’m assigning rooms.” He finished his assessment and stopped at the top of a sand dune to look down at the group. 

“There are five guys and three girls. One room has to be co-ed. That’ll be me and Clary.” Clary made a sound of surprise and disgust, Jace complained, Maia laughed, and Magnus pouted. 

Alec held up his hand, “It makes the most sense. Maia, you and Izzy are rooming together. Meliorn, you room with Simon and Jace with Magnus.” 

Everyone looked toward their assigned roommate with disappointment except for Meliorn who simply nodded his appreciation. 

Izzy threw her head back in an exaggerated gesture, beseeching to the sky “If there are gods, angels, higher beings, whatever, up there, you will show my brother the error of his ways. You will ruin his plans to separate us and show him that mischief cannot be contained by rules and regulations!” 

Maia and Clary giggled at her as she theatrically gestured and swayed as she spoke, walking in a circle. Even Magnus let a small smile tug on his mouth at Isabelle’s antics. Alec rolled his eyes and turned back towards the cliffs. 

Had she known what would happen in those caverns, Isabelle might have been more careful what she asked for. 

The group made it to a gap and with their various abilities, traversing the small chasm was fairly easy. Alec inspected the distance and the terrain and nodded. “Well that explains why we haven’t had any reports of mundanes in the caverns. I don’t think they could traverse this area without a lot of specialized gear.” 

Maia nodded and looked at the area now visible to them on this side of the chasm. There was a long narrow slit in the rock yawning open but pitch black inside, dark water brushing in and out of the cavern. She surveyed the ocean and the sun. “And at certain times of the year, that opening would be completely submerged by water. We’ll probably want to be careful ourselves and make sure we come back out before high tide or we might have to take a bit of a dip to get back out.” 

Jace stepped up next to Alec, his serious expression telling Alec that he was in mission mode. Jace surveyed the area keenly. “You feel that?” he asked Alec. Alec nodded. 

Jace turned to the group of Downworlders. “What does this place feel like to you?” 

They all answered together but with different expressions.

“Like the grave,” Simon answered his tone both soft and a bit wistful.

“Like the glade,” Meliorn replied, his tone surprised to find another place like his Faerie home.

“Like Edom,” Magnus said his eyes far away and his expression solomon. 

“Like, home? Sanctuary?” Maia tried, her face uncertain on how to express the feeling. 

They looked at each other realizing that they all seemed to have variation of the same feeling.

Magnus looked at Alec. “One thing is for certain,” he said. “It calls to us.” The rest nodded. Magnus took Alec’s hand. “What does it feel like to you?”

Alec looked toward the opening, “Like Alicante, Like a sacred temple. It draws me there too.” 

The group stood staring at the opening for a few minutes trying to adjust to the feeling, before Meliorn took a step forward. “If we intend to check out this cavern, we should do so quickly. As the werewolf said, we need to exit before high tide.” 

They splashed into the knee deep water that lead them into the cave. They could hear more water inside and Alec, Jace, Izzy and Clary pulled out their witchlights, Magnus conjuring flame in his hand to light his way. 

Alec turned to the other three, intending to group them together to share the available lights. He lifted his witchlight aloft to light the ground in front of Meliorn who rose a brow at him. 

“You lot might need those trinkets, but I am just fine. My sight has adjusted.” Meliorn peered further into the cavern past where the light illuminated the path. “There is a small pool up ahead.” He cocked his head to the side, his eyes sliding to the werewolf who was standing near him staring in the same direction, her eyes shining in the dark, her nostrils flaring and her head also tipped slightly to the side. “You hear it too?” Meliorn asked her.

Maia nodded, “Running water. Probably an underground fall.” 

Simon stared into the dark with them. “Yeah,” he said like it was obvious, “it’s right there.” 

The Shadowhunters squinted into the dark holding their witchlights up higher trying to stretch their illumination. Meliorn looked to Simon inquisitively. “You can see the falls from here?” 

 

Simon kept staring ahead. “Yeah.” He blinked a few times and turned his attention back to his companions. “Raphael taught me. It’s like Vampire Super Vision.” He explained. “I can focus on a spot and sort of zoom in. Super useful.” 

Meliorn’s expression turned grim. “Useful, but dangerous. Enhancing your vision to one location can help you, but it also leaves you extremely vulnerable to being unaware of your surroundings.” 

Simon rolled his eyes.

“Alright,” Jace said, “So, we keep heading in? I don’t see anything thus far that would explain the feeling we are all getting.” 

Alec looked to Magnus, who shot a small firework into the cavern to illuminate the area before them. The streak of light flew about a mile forward, arching up to show the cavernous height of the ceiling and exploding in a shower of light that indeed revealed a pool with a waterfall emptying into its dark waters. 

Magnus turned to Alec. “It’s pulling us that way.” 

The group headed forward cautiously, with a simple look from Alec, the Shadowhunters fell into a formation that kept the Downworlders in the middle and covered all directions as they moved forward; Clary and Izzy flanking the sides, Alec leading the way and Jace bringing up the rear, his focus behind them. 

They skirted the edge of the pool, unwilling to splash through the water that seemed preternaturally still considering that it was flowing out into the ocean, dark and unyielding of its depth. 

“There’s a pathway behind the waterfall.” Magnus said to Alec. They shared a look, everyone silently agreeing to continue on. 

Magnus waved his hand and the water pulled aside from the left, arching further into the pool like a curtain being brushed aside. 

A narrow strip of stone running from the left of the pool offered them entrance behind the dark water, the stone dark and slippery and only wide enough for one. 

Alec surveyed the group. “We’ll go single file. Me first, Magnus at my back, then Izzy, Meliorn, Clary, Simon, Maia, and then Jace.” 

Alec stepped onto the rock and began moving forward, his seraph blade unsheathed and in his hand. 

They moved in single file until they were directly in the middle of the waterfall and a passage opened down a narrow rock corridor leading further into the cave. The dark breached only by the witchlights, seraph blades, and Magnus’s blue flame. 

“This isn’t a natural cavern.” Clary commented looking at the perfectly squared walls around them, the smooth stone seeming to have been carved out just big enough to allow them to continue forward single file. 

Maia shuddered. “This is really small.” 

Simon set a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it opens up further ahead.”

The group silently continued on. As they neared the area where the hall opened, the walls began to yield symbols carved along them. Magnus and Meliorn ran hands across them studying them closely. 

“What are they?” Izzy asked in awe. She and Clary were also running their hands over the inscriptions. 

Magnus shook his head looking to Meliorn. “It’s old. Older than me. I don’t know what it says.”

Meliorn mumbled to himself and shook his head. “Some of it is ancient Seelie writing, but not all. The dialect is lost. I can sound it out but the meaning doesn’t come to much.”

Magnus nodded and pressed. “Any particular theme? Warnings of danger, curses, threats, etc?”

Meliorn shook his head, “No. Most of it seems...instructional. Discussing the creation of the Fae and our place in the world. More like a history than anything.”

Clary’s hand darted from spot to spot. “These,” she said singling out specific marks, “they’re ShadowHunter runes.”

Jace held his light closer. “Not ones I’ve ever seen.” 

Clary rolled her eyes at him. “Not like the ones from the grey book. They’re… more communicational. Not really like the ones we use for power, just more like notes jotted down.”

Alec turned to Simon. “You said it opens up ahead.” Simon nodded. “Can you see any threat or movement?” 

Simon stared ahead of them, his focus going off for a moment before he answered. “Nope. Just a big room with some kind of statue or something in the center.” 

Alec nodded. “Let’s move forward. Whatever is in this cavern is what is causing the Shadow Energy.” 

As they entered the stone chamber, the walls and floor and ceiling were indeed smooth and structured, they all unintentionally fanned out. The Shadowhunters creeping to the the center of the room to inspect the statue and alter there, and the Downworlders fanning out around the room to inspect various things. 

 

At the center of the room stood a statue, or rather 4 statues on a large circular dias. The statues faced different directions in the room but all of them were similar. They were all depictions of some sort of dual beings. The front being one face and the back another, as if two people were fused together back-to-back. 

Alec stood and looked up at the figure in front of him. The face looking forward was grim and stark, a seraph blade in the woman’s left hand and obvious rune marks across her chest and left arm, but the right arm was extended back becoming the forward facing limb of the person fused to her back and it was raised with clawed fingers. The face on the other side was a distorted face of a man with a vicious smile of elongated canines his face pointing slightly as if it were a protruding like a muzzle, and his hair long and shaggy blending at his shoulders into the Shadowhunter woman’s hair behind him. 

Alec glanced around to see Magnus inspecting a red disc on the wall the statue was facing. Magnus held up his flame closer to the wall and glanced around at the others. “There’s something written on these dots.” He said gesturing to the colored disc on each wall. He fanned his flame across the cobwebs and grime hindering his view of the words, the filth becoming little more than embers in the air around him. 

Alec looked at the large dias the statues stood on and could make out some markings as well. He knelt down to look at them. 

Maia was inspecting a disc on another wall that was blue. Magnus was right, there was something written on it, but she couldn’t make it out with all the dirt and grim over the words. She pulled a bottle of water out of her backpack and poured some on the disc, rubbing her hand against the surface to try and clear the words. Her hand brushed something sharp and she jerked her hand back, shaking it in mild irritation as she studied the wall. 

Meliorn leaned forward towards the yellow disc in front of him and blew heavily at the dust coated surface, brushing his hand across the surface as well. 

Clary, Jace, and Izzy were all looking at the other statues around the dias, studying the symbols as well when Simon’s voice rang out. 

“Hey,” he said with bright enthusiasm, “I wonder what this does.” He reached forward next to the doorway they had entered from and pulled an ominous lever in the wall.

The group lunged at him, various cries of concern, irritation, and warning flying to him as he pulled the metal lever. And then there was a grumbling and the doorway they had just entered through, sealed with rock, a green disc at its center. 

Everyone froze. Simon frantically tried to toggle the lever again to reverse the results but nothing happened. “Oops.” He said sheepishly. 

“Oops? Oopps!?!” Meliorn raged stalking towards him, “You’ve just trapped us all here and all you have to say is ‘Oops’?”

Simon backed away from him before, ‘click,’ he stepped on a raised plate in front of the disc. He froze as did Meliorn. 

“Uh, guys?” Simon said. “This is starting to get too ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ for me. If I slide down into a pit of snakes, I am not going on any more adventures with you people.”

Izzy walked over to him, “Oh, come on, this is the most fun we’ve had in weeks,” she said lightly. She flicked her whip into staff form and set it on the plate, “how much do you weigh?” She asked Simon. 

He raised a brow at her, “Is that really an appropriate question to ask...” he started, but she interrupted him. 

“I’m going to displace the pressure of your weight, so that you can step off the tile. Then I can remove the staff and deal with whatever the consequences are.” 

Simon shook his head, “No way. I’m a vampire now. I’m fast. If it’s a trap, you’ll be caught in it. I’ll just run off at vamp speed and whatever happens, we can all be on the other side of the room.” 

Izzy shrugged. “Fine.” 

The group retreated to the opposite side of the cavern. Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes closed tight, he supernaturally sped off the tile and to the left corner of the room.

There was a faint click as he excited the plate and for a moment nothing happened and then the statue in front of the green dot wall turned. The figure formerly facing in now facing the green disc on the outside. 

“That’s it?” Simon said with some disappointment. He kicked at the dirt on the floor harder than he intended, a shower of dust flying toward the wall, small stones clicking against the green disc in the center.

Alec walked to the statue that moved. The large dias was actually a sort of cog. Each statue had its own circle to turn the beings in and out but was also part of a larger circle. Alec noticed that the writing on the dias didn’t line up. 

“There’s something written here,” Alec said, the group looking over his shoulder. He looked around, “But it’s jumbled. The plate on the floor moved the statue. Maybe there are more plates so we can line up this writing.” 

“Like a puzzle,” Clary agreed walking around the statue slowly looking for more risen plates in the floor. Maia stalked back to her dot and then scanned the floor between the wall and the statue. There, about five feet in, was a plate. 

She looked up. “There are more plates out here too.” 

“Yes,” Meliorn agreed, “there is one in front of each statue.”

Clary finished her circle, frowning. “But there aren’t any over here.” 

“Maybe they don’t all do the same thing?” Jace offered. 

“We’ll have to test them all to see what they do.” Alec said. He nodded to the group and Meliorn tapped the plate in front of his yellow disc. 

The statue in front of the yellow disc turned just as the last one did. 

Magnus tapped his plate and the statue in front of him turned around as well, the Shadowhunter Alec had noted earlier turning inward as the wolf man faced the open air. 

Maia finally tapped her plate but the same happened, the statue in front of her shifting in the same manner as the rest. 

Isabelle looked at the dias carefully. “They’re joined.” She said. “What if you all step on the plates at the same time? Maybe all together it will move the dias?” 

“Worth a try.” Jace agreed. 

Alec raised his sword. “Alright, be ready. If this dias opens up, there could be anything down there.” 

Alec took up his position facing the wolf creature now looking out into the room, the Shadowhunter woman hidden behind him facing the center of the dias. Magnus at his back near the red disc and prepared to step onto the plate. 

The other Shadowhunters took up their places in front of a statue as well. Jace was standing to his left looking into the face of a beautiful woman licking something from her fingers, fangs protruding from her mouth. Clary was across from Alec looking tiny in front of a looming statue where both sides were male. The elegant man looking out at her with long hair and a tattooed face obviously Fae. And Isabelle stood to his right smiling at the statue in front of her the woman facing her mirroring that mischievous smile, her hand raised with flames dancing in her palm and small horns protruding from her forehead.

Alec checked that everyone was ready to step onto the plates, Maia at her blue dot behind Jace, Meliorn his yellow one behind Isabelle, and Simon his green dot behind Clary. They each nodded at him and he didn’t bother to turn back and check on Magnus at the red dot behind him. 

“3, 2, 1, go!” Alec said. The Downworlders stepped onto their plates and the dias indeed reacted. The stone groaning as it began to spin like a slow broken carousel. The statues traveled counter clockwise shifting until they were one space over and halted. 

Alec vaguely remembered looking up into the face of the beautiful mischievous woman with horns, that had previously been in front of Isabelle, and noting that she must be a warlock, before there was a flood of white light and heat soared through him.


	3. Why Do We Even Have That Lever?!?

Chapter 3: Why do we even have that lever!?!

The light erupted upward from the statue, a searing line of it passing from statue to Shadowhunter and then moving on to the Downworlders, and to the plates and discs behind each of them. The white light covered the Downworlders, seeming to seep into them and then pour out of them, pushing them back to the walls and against the colored discs. As each one touched the disc behind them, the light changed color and surged back toward the center. Blue light snaking forward from Maia to Jace, green light springing up from Simon and smashing into Clary, yellow light arcing through the air and bridging the distance between Meliorn and Isabelle and red light sizzling and spiking towards Alec coming from the direction he had last seen Magnus. 

Alec dropped to his knees as heat seared through his body. He could smell the fire scorching the earth beneath him and see the bright light dying down. He focused on breathing, but each breath seemed to shove oxygen into the fire in his blood, feeding it and stoking it higher. 

Isabelle was also on her knees, taking deep gasping breaths as if she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, her hands at her throat. 

Jace’s cry could be heard echoing across the chamber as his back arched and sweat poured from him, tears streaming down his face as he contorted and jerked against some unseeable force. 

But Clary, she lay perfectly still, her eyes open and staring at the ceiling as if seeing nothing, her hair spread around her and her chest not rising or falling. 

It happened in the span of a perhaps a minute, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, Alec felt Magnus’s hand at his shoulder, the heat dying down to a bearable degree.

Meliorn brushed a lock of Isabelle’s hair behind her ear as she slowly began to bring her breathing back to normal. 

Jace fell silent, Maia standing nearby, her hand over her mouth as she hovered near him. 

And as Simon knelt at Clary’s side, her hand grasped in his, Clary blinked and sat up. 

Alec looked up into Magnus’s eyes and surprise whirled through him as he caught sight of the familiar swirling z shape mark inked at Magnus’s throat. Alec reached out a hand to touch the rune in amazement and blue embers crackled between his fingertips. 

“Clary,” Simon said in a soft hushed tone, his voice full of raw emotion as he pulled her to him into an embrace. “I was so worried! You weren’t breathing.” 

Clary turned her face into his throat, a deep breath running through her, “You smell amazing,” she purred. Her mouth opening slightly as Simon jerked back and stared at her, holding her by the shoulders as his eyes went wide at the fangs protruding from her mouth. 

 

Jace panted still, but took Maia’s outstretched hand as she offered to help him from the ground, his eyes shining a bright yellow at her through the dark. 

Meliorn’s fingers slid down the mark now across Isabelle’s cheekbone from the hair he tucked behind her ear. Her now pointed ear. She looked at him slowly, standing from the ground without a sound as she quickly took in everything around her. 

“What the hell happened to you!” Simon yelled at Clary. 

“She has become you.” Isabelle said as she came towards them.

Magnus nodded as he stared into Alec’s now cat-like eyes. “Yes. It seems we have all become each other,” he said helping Alec to his feet and heading to the others. 

Jace cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?” After a moment, he finally managed to take in the group around him. 

Simon stood up, Clary seeming to be brought back from the shock of everything as she stood too, her eyes still lingering on the pulse point at his throat and her tongue unconsciously running across her lips. 

Jace shook his head in disbelief. “No… no. No way!” 

He turned and looked at Maia his eyes immediately honing in on the curving script of runes peeking out from her shirt. He followed them with surprise, each so familiar to him. His gaze stopped on her left forearm where indeed the mark of the angel was inked on her skin, just where his had been. 

“Fix it!” he roared turning towards Magnus, going stark still as he took in the runes running across his body as well the all too familiar deflection rune at the side of his neck. 

Magnus shook his head. “I can’t just snap my fingers,” he did so as if to prove the point, “and solve the world’s problems you know!” He gestured to Alec. “Besides, I’m not the warlock here anymore, he is.” 

Alec staggered back a step. “How? I mean… what?”

Meliorn stepped forward looking to Magnus. “I believe we have enacted what is called ‘The Balancing’.” 

“Of course,” Magnus said with a nod, “that would explain the scripts and the draw of this place.” 

“I’m sorry,” Maia cut in, “but what, exactly is ‘The Balancing’?”

Isabelle looked to her, her voice coming out softer than usual but no less strong and confident.   
“The Balancing was an ancient ritual used before the Accords were created to bring back the peace between the various species of the Downworld. However, I thought it was just myth or a sort of roleplay when the stories said they used to trade places.” 

“It seems, somehow, we triggered it.” Meliorn supplied his icy stare going to Simon with accusation. 

Simon protested. “ME? How could I have caused this?” 

Everyone looked from him to the level on the wall. 

“Oh really!” Simon asked. “An ancient mystic ritual and you think I set it off with a lever? If it’s that easy, then why do they even have that lever? Shouldn’t there be a warning sign or something?”

Magnus cut in to save Simon any more anger directed at him. “It is unlikely that just pulling the lever enacted the ritual. It must have been a number of factors.” 

“Ok, but, how do we switch back?” Clary asked, her words coming out thickly as she learned to speak over the fangs. She winced as one of them sliced her lip. 

Simon cringed in sympathy. “Occupational hazard,” he explained, “press your tongue to the roof of your mouth with your teeth slightly apart,” he coached. 

Clary did so and the fangs slid back a bit further into her mouth. She looked at him brightly, “Hey thanks!” 

Alec looked to Magnus’s face with its weary expression. “We can’t reverse it, can we?” He asked. 

Magnus shook his head. “The Balancing is a complex ancient ritual. Even with all my experience and magic, I don’t know that I could undo it and, right now, I don’t have those. The stories say that it lasts for a set amount of time and things go back to normal eventually, but those are all various on when and how that happens.”

“So I’m stuck like this?” Jace said loudly. “For the Angel knows how long?” 

“Hey,” Maia said, a hand going to her hip, “What do you mean ‘like this’? Is there something wrong with being a werewolf?”

Jace ignored her. “We need to go back. Back to the Institute. We can figure out from there how to fix this.” 

Meliorn shook his head. “It won’t be that easy. You see, the biggest part of the Balancing was learning to live the life of the other.” He turned to look at the mouth of the tunnel, squinting as Isabelle handed over her witchlight, the item glowing immediately as she set it in his hand. 

“Out there,” Meliorn continued, gesturing to the way out of the cavern, “there is nothing to fix. To everyone else but those here, things are as they’ve always been.” 

“What do you mean?” Alec asked puzzled. 

Meliorn looked at each of them, “I mean, that to the world, there is nothing amiss.” He looked to Alec, “There is no such thing as Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood. You have always been Alec Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn. The Balancing transposes you into another’s life.” 

Meliorn turned to Isabelle, “You are now Isabelle, Seelie Knight to the Fae Queen. And I am Meliorn Lightwood, Shadowhunter and weapons master of the New York institute.”

Simon reached out and pulled the lever on the wall again. The doorway opened back up and everyone looked at him. He shrugged. “Worth a try.”

Clary stared down the path and her eyes went out of focus for a moment before she staggered. Isabelle reached out to steady her. “Woah,” she said. 

Clary blinked and turned to Simon. “Super vision?” 

He nodded. “Takes some getting used to.” 

Isabelle stared down the hall as well. “I hate to bring up more bad news, but we need to get out of here.” She jerked her chin towards the hall. “The water is rising.” 

The group solemnly filed out into the hall. 

There was a silence as they moved. No longer a cohesive group with defense patterns and solidarity. The newly minted ‘Shadowhunters’ held the witchlights aloft, squinting and stumbling a bit in the dark. 

Jace shook his head again at Maia as she stumbled over a rock. “How do you guys manage?” She grumbled at him. “My eyesight is shit now.” 

Jace rolled his eyes and pulled his Stele out of his pocket. He grabbed Maia’s arm. “Here.” He traced a rune on her skin and she hissed at the feeling. 

“Ow! That hurts.” She complained. 

Jace snorted. “It isn’t a marker.”

Maia rubbed at the skin on her arm where the new rune lay and blinked as she got used to the enhanced vision flooding her system. “But I didn’t know it hurt like that.” She said. 

Clary, Isabelle, and Alec turned to their counterparts and did the same. Meliorn and Magnus didn’t flinch as the marks flared to life on their skin, but Simon squealed.

“Ahhhh, jeez! That is ridiculously unpleasant.,” He said, rubbing hard at his skin. He glared at Clary and the rest. “Why would you do that to yourselves?” He blinked a few times. “Oh wow, OK.” 

Clary rolled her eyes at him. “You get used to it.” 

They reached the chasm between them and the stretch of beach back to the condo, and after some basic instructions the new Downworlders got their first taste of their new abilities, making the leap back to civilization. 

As they neared the condo, Meliorn reached out to Isabelle. “I believe, in light of current circumstances, we will need to discuss many things.” 

The group halted in the open living area. 

“Well,” Magnus said brightly, “I think we solved the sleeping arrangements.” 

Meliorn nodded, “If we are to return tomorrow, we should all take the time to… consult with one another about what we will face. The Balancing will eventually correct itself, but until then we will need to live as the world sees us.” 

Jace looked tightly across the room at Simon and Clary and shifted uncomfortably before looking to Maia. “Is that really necessary? I mean, yeah, we switched but is there really all that much that we don’t know about each other?”

Meliorn looked to Isabelle. “There is much you will need to be prepared for to enter the Seelie court,” he said before shooting a glance to Simon, “and you should make Clary aware of the situation she now finds herself in.” 

Clary looked at Simon in surprise. 

“What do you mean, situation?” Jace asked stalking across the room towards them. 

“None of your business.” Simon responded his eyes flicking briefly to Maia. “That’s between me and Clary.” 

Simon reached out to lead Clary away, when Jace grabbed his arm. “Like hell it is!” 

Clary cut in, suddenly between the two. “Jace, calm down,” she cautioned. 

“No way,” Jace seethed, “This idiot got us all switched around and now he’s got you involved in some sort of danger!” 

Jace began to shake in anger. 

Maia moved forward quickly. “Shit,” she cursed, “Jace, breathe! Focus and calm down.” 

Jace rounded on her, “Don’t tell me what to do.” 

The shaking turned to contorting and Maia looked to the rest of the group. “This isn’t going to be pretty.” She warned. 

Alec watched in horror as his previous Parabatai shifted, his skin peeling away to the wolf beneath. Jace growled, his attention still on Maia. Maia kept her eyes on Jace but spoke to the group. 

“Stay still. Don’t move. I’ll take him outside and work him down.” She backed slowly towards the door, Jace stalking her the whole way. 

Maia slid the Stele out of her pocket and flicked her eyes over at Magnus. He tapped a rune on his shoulder and Maia nodded. Pressing the Stele into her skin, she drew the Fleetfootedness rune and then tore out of the condo, Jace giving chase close behind her.

Alec felt the fire flare at this fingers again. He shook his hand putting them out, and looked to Magnus. “Meliorn is right. There’s a lot we are all going to have to learn.” 

Magnus smiled softly at him, “You know, this wasn’t how I had planned on getting to room with you, but I’ll take it.”


	4. Need to Know

Chapter 4: Need to Know

Maia & Jace:

Maia flew across the beach, being cautious of her footing and where she was heading. In true wolf fashion, Jace flanked her to the side, pushing her to run in a specific direction, but Maia couldn’t understand where he was leading her. 

She kept running, feeling a thrum in her veins as a heat rose in her and one of the symbols inked on her skin seared with light. She leapt up a nearby stone face and took the high ground. As Jace came barreling after her, she dropped down on top of him, another rune flaring to life as she reached beneath him and flipped him onto his back, pinning him to the ground as he thrashed and snapped at her. 

She brought her face down close to his, one hand on his chest to pin him and one wrapping around his snout to hold his mouth closed as she looked him in the eyes. 

“Jace, stop,” she said calmly, “breathe.” She did so herself, soft and slow. “Feel the earth under your back, the sandy dirt of the coast in your fur. Smell the salty sea breeze and the thick fragrance of seaweed. Taste the crispness of the air and the humidity on your tongue. Listen to my voice, calm and sure.” She caught his eyes as he stopped struggling. “Look at me, Jace. You are safe. Everyone is safe. You don’t need to fight. You need to relax.” She felt the change come over him as he exhaled, his body shifting under her from fur to skin. She held still, her hand now on a bare chest, her knees on either side of his waist, and her other hand gripping his chin and mouth still as they shrank back onto his face. 

They stared at each other for a while before Maia spoke. “Are you OK now?”

He nodded. 

“Take three more deep breaths.” Maia ordered, and he did. She crawled off him and sat down cross-legged in front of him as he sat up. 

“Is it always like that?” He asked softly. 

Maia nodded. “The moon change is different, but the emotional shift is always like that. If you bottle up your emotions and try to suppress them, they force you into it.”

He looked away from her and finally seemed to realize he was naked. He looked down at himself and looked up at her. “I suppose this is something to be used to as well?” 

She smirked at him. “Most of us keep spare outfits at various locations in case of such events.” 

“I guess I have a lot to learn about being a werewolf, huh?” 

Maia smiled at him, “Not just about being a werewolf. About being a part of a pack and about being…me.” 

Jace considered her for a moment. “You activated the runes back there. Without a Stele. You…you used my ability.” 

Maia looked down at the runes on her arms. “It’s a good thing too. I still don’t know what a lot of these do or how to use them.” 

Jace stood up, reaching out to haul her up with him, “Guess we better get back and start learning.” 

Maia nodded. 

Meliorn & Isabelle:

Meliorn opened the door to the bedroom farthest in the back, and held it open for Isabelle as she entered. He quirked a smile at her as she perched on the edge of the bed quietly. 

Her skin held the dewy glow of the fae, her ears pointed, her eyes extra bright, and that delicate swirl of foliage imprint running down her sharp cheek. Already he could see the change in her, the subdued cautious softness that the Seelies held about each of them. 

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” He asked.

She blinked. “Is it always like this? Do you always feel so much?”

He laughed lightly. “You will become accustomed to it and it will feel less...overwhelming after a time. The Seelie are sensitive creatures. No doubt you can now see, smell, taste, hear and sense things that you’ve never been able to before. It will take some time to learn to sort through it quickly and function with that extra sensory input.”

She nodded, her eyes darting all around as her new senses overloaded her with information.

“Are you all right?” He asked her. 

“I’m fiii…” she started, the word choking off and refusing to leave her lips. “....I’m… fff…. I’m… I’m... adjusting.” She managed to say. 

Meliorn smiled at her. “Feeling the compulsion?” 

“Is that what it is?” She asked bewildered. 

He nodded. “That is the air of the Fae. It is what keeps us alive for so long, but also what binds us to speak only the truth. If you try to speak falsely, the air will stop your speech, refusing to allow you to speak.” 

She nodded in understanding. “So, you can’t even tell a little white lie?” 

“You will learn to test the limits and push the boundaries. Especially living as me, you will have to learn. The other part you might feel now is the tether thread to the Queen.”

Isabelle looked up. “It’s like a string that tells me to go keep my eyes on Clary.” 

He nodded. “Yes. It is the thread that holds me to her will. Well, you now. The longer you try to withstand it the tighter it will twist. The more direct the order, the harder it is to disobey.”

Isabelle frowned. “So, I’m a slave?”

Meliorn knelt before her and looked at her in the eyes seriously. “Isabelle, some of what I am about to tell you, only my Queen knows and the rest are literally secrets I prepared to take to my grave. But if you are to live my life, you will need to know it, need to understand it, need to see the web of the Seelie court and where you are caught in it, so that you may stay safe. The Fae realm is dangerous and wicked, and they play by a completely different set of rules.”

She nodded and he continued. “I am fortunate to already be familiar with most runes and Shadowhunter things, but while you know more than most, there is much you will have to be ready for and prepare for to live as a Seelie Knight, to live as me.” 

Her eyes met his, a small amount of clouded shame lingering in their dark depths. “And there are probably a few things about being me that you should know as well.” 

Simon & Clary 

 

Simon and Clary entered the first bedroom and shut the door. Clary whirled on him instantly, “Simon Elijah Lewis...” she started in. 

“Oh, boy,” Simon said under his breath. He was being middle-named. Clary knew how much he hated his middle name. 

“We have been best friends since forever,” she continued, “we tell each other everything! So why is it I am only just now hearing about some potential danger you might be in!” 

Simon sat heavily and looked at Clary with a serious expression. “That might have been true once, Clary, but it hasn’t been that way with us for a long time.”

Clary shut her mouth and sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Look,” Simon said, “things are extremely weird right now, so let’s just lay everything on the table. There are a lot of things that have changed between us and we’ve just been letting things happen without talking about it. I supposed the one good thing that can come of all this is that it is going to force us to talk about it.” 

Clary looked at him, her eyes narrowed and her mouth slightly open. 

Simon tilted his head at her. “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying are you?” 

Clary didn’t respond. Her eyes glued to the pulsepoint at his throat and her new fangs protruding further from her mouth. 

“Clary.” Simon said carefully recognizing the look in her eyes. He reached to the floor and slowly opened his backpack. He pulled out one of the blood packs he had stored in the cooler compartment and threw it to her. She caught it and wrinkled her nose at the bag. 

Simon rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have to learn to like it. Besides, you need to eat or you’re going to launch yourself at someone, probably me.”

Clary stared at the bag in her hand, her throat going dry as saliva pooled in her mouth. “Do I…Do I just…drink it?” She asked. 

Simon nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you can heat them up and that is nice, but for now, for your first, I think room temp should be fine.” He moved to sit next to her on the bed and pulled the little tube on the bag out and held it up to her lips with a small smile.

“Think of it like a Caprisun.” He offered. 

A small smile spread across Clary’s lips. “We used to drink those for snack all the time.” 

He nodded. “Just close your eyes and take a drink. If you don’t look, you won’t even notice.” 

Clary’s lips closed over the tube and she sucked, the red liquid a bit thicker than juice but sliding up the tube like a straw. Once the first bit touched her tongue though, she felt ravenous. She took the bag from Simon’s hand, squeezing it and sucking with abandon, gulping down the liquid. He silently handed her a second bag as the first made crinkling sounds as she sucked hard enough for the bag to concave in on itself with nothing left inside, the makeshift straw creating the slurping sound of emptiness. She snatched the second bag as well, slurping it up with a bit more candor than the first. 

When the second bag was empty, she licked her lips and looked at him from under her lashes a bit ashamed. “Is that… is that what it has been like for you?” She whispered. 

Simon nodded. “The thirst is always there, in the back of your mind. The longer you go without, the harder it is to block it out. It starts to take over your focus. But it’s fine. I help Raphael by volunteering at the blood mobile since I’m the only one who can go out during the day. So I have plenty and I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone.” 

Clary sat thoughtfully for a while. “I guess we haven’t really been talking as much and sharing as much lately, huh? I didn’t know you were volunteering at the blood mobile.” 

“Clary,” Simon said seriously, “things have changed for us. We weren’t even really talking when we were together. I mean, I think that we have been avoiding things for a while now.”

Clary nodded. “I’m different, and not just because of this situation, but being a Shadowhunter, being a Morgenstern, it’s all different than it was back when we were drinking Caprisuns for snack.” 

Simon nodded, “And it isn’t just you Clary. I’m different too! I’ve gone from nerd kid, to vampire, to Daylighter, and I’m still trying to figure out what all that means.” 

There was brief silence between them before Simon started again. 

“Listen Clary, I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t hurt by how things happened between us.”

Clary flinched at the mention of it. 

“But you’re still my best friend. I still care about you and your well-being and I know that Jace means something to you so, I understand. I think, I think honestly we were both kidding ourselves anyways and I knew that deep down. I loved you Clary. I loved Clary Fray, the artist. But you’re not that girl anymore. And I think in your own way, in your desire to keep one part of your life the same and constant, I was familiar and warm and what you needed and wanted, but you weren’t in love with me. You love me, yes, but we aren’t in love and we’ve grown up and grown apart and that’s OK.”

Clary stared at him, a single blood red tear falling down her cheek. “I didn’t want things to be this way.” She said softly. 

Simon wrapped her in his arms. “It is how it is. I wouldn’t change things if I could, because at least I’m still here and I still have you in my life.” 

“Simon Lewis,” Clary sniffled into his shoulder, “you are too sweet.”

Simon pulled away from her, “I do believe it’s Simon Fray now. Or is it Fairchild? Morgenstern?”

Clary giggled. “Welcome to the identity crisis that is my life.” 

Simon smiled. “Yes, well, we can talk about trivial things later. For now, I need to tell you about a couple choices I made and how they are going to affect you.” 

Clary nodded. “Yeah, I need to tell you about some secrets I have too.”

Alec & Magnus

Magnus led Alec to the Master Suite and Alec froze as he entered and caught sight of his cat eyes in the dresser mirror. 

Magnus came up behind him, covering Alec’s eyes with his hand and whispering in Alec’s ears. “Close your eyes. Think about your reflection the way you are used to seeing it. Your eyes the color of the ocean, that sand brown center washing off to those ocean blue outer rims. See it without seeing it.” 

Alec’s breathing was relaxed and slow as Magnus’s hands left his eyes. Alec’s eyes fluttered open and his eye color was back to its usual shade. He turned to face Magnus.

“Will I have to focus or think about it to keep it going?” 

Magnus shook his head, “For you, no I don’t think so. The trick is to manifest what you expect to see. You’ve lived your whole life looking at your eyes the way they are now, so it should be fairly easy to keep that expectation that they look that way.” 

Alec took a step forward, closing the space between them. “But you,” he said softly, “when you do this, you have to think about it, don’t you? You keep your focus there at least partly at all times.”

Magnus didn’t answer. 

Alec kissed him, his hand sliding behind Magnus’s neck and pressing them together in a demanding yet languishing kiss. 

Alec pulled away to look at him, barely enough space for breath between their faces. “I had no idea. I had no idea what a treasure it was then, when you dropped your glamour for me.” Alec said. “Knowing now that when you’re with me, your focus is so completely on us that even that small amount of focus cracks and you let me see you…” he trailed off bracing their foreheads together. 

“Promise me,” Alec said with conviction, “promise that when things go back to normal, when it’s just you and me, you won’t try to hide from me. That you’ll be comfortable being your whole self and giving me all your attention. That you’ll let me look into your eyes, into your real eyes, when I kiss you when we’re alone together.” 

Alec shifted his gaze to the mirror briefly and let the cat eyes return to this face. 

Magnus looked at him with awe. “Alexander,” he breathed the word sounding like a prayer from his lips before they were wrapped back into each other. 

Between kisses, articles of clothing started being peeled away. A smile on Alec’s lips as his skin finally pressed against Magnus’s. Alec nipped at the deflection rune at Magnus’s throat and followed it down his collar bone. “You know,” he said to Magnus between kisses, “we’re supposed to be learning how to be each other.” 

Magnus grinned at him. “Oh, Alexander,” he said sweetly, “I plan to re-learn every inch of you.” 

And they tangled into each other once more. 

Maia and Jace were headed back to the condo when Maia froze, blinking rapidly her mouth falling open a bit. Jace paused and looked over at her. “What is it?” he asked. 

Maia stayed frozen, her breathing accelerating a bit and she tried to orient herself, “I’m… I’m not sure.” She said. 

Jace’s eyes ran over her trying to figure out what was wrong when the scent hit him. Her arousal almost a physical force against his heightened senses. He crooked an eyebrow at her before realization hit him. 

“Shit,” he cursed, moving towards her and unceremoniously yanking her top from her shorts and gripping her hip to examine her side. 

“Hey!” Maia cried in outrage, embarrassed by how the feel of his hand on her bare skin made her tingle. 

Jace traced the rune there at her side. She looked at it curiously, “What’s that one for?” 

Jace looked up at her. “It’s the Parabatai bonding rune,” he answered. “It allows you to share your location and strength with your Parabatai, as well as any intense emotions.” Maia’s eyes opened wide as she looked toward the condo. 

“So, these….feelings….they aren’t mine?” 

Jace shook his head. “Nope.” 

Maia blushed. “How do I…. I mean, what do I do?”

 

Jace grinned at her. “Enjoy the ride.”


	5. Back to Someone Else's Life

Chapter 5 - Back to Someone else’s life 

As the next morning dawned, they all gathered solemnly in the living room. Today they would head back to their lives. 

“Are you sure you remember everything?” Meliorn fretted to Isabelle. She rolled her eyes. “I am sure. And I wouldn’t be able to say that if I wasn’t.”

They had spent all night discussing Seelie etiquette and court policy as well as some rather surprising bits of information about Meliorn’s own history and circumstances. Isabelle looked at him, so strange to see him with the runes on his forearms and neck. She felt a mild amount of guilt at the fact that she had never bothered to know this much of him during their dalliances, but then again, he hadn’t bothered to know more than her body either. 

Clary and Simon emerged as well, Clary and Isabelle locking eyes with a small nod to show that they were both now aware of the situation that awaited them. The real reason Meliorn had been tracking Simon. The promise to the Seelie Queen that Clary would now be forced to fulfill. 

Izzy placed a hand on Clary’s unmarred porcelain shoulder, “I will protect you Clary, don’t worry.” 

“I just wish I knew what the Seelie Queen wanted with Simon. I mean… now me.” Clary replied. 

Izzy exchanged a look with Meliorn and shook her head sadly, “That is not for me to say. But I am sure she will make her reasons clear when we arrive.” 

Maia and Jace emerged next, Jace walking backward into the living room as he held up flashcards to Maia. 

“Heat,” Maia answered easily and he flicked up another. “Strength.” Jace nodded and put the cards down. “You can recognize them. For your sake, I’d advise you keep the major ones on at all times. You’re shit at drawing them, but you have the self activating down pat, so you can use that if you need one.” 

Magnus and Alec emerged and Maia’s cheeks reddened as she looked away from them. 

Jace grinned at them. “Learn anything?” He asked them with a sly smile. 

“Not enough,” Alec said pursing his lips in disappointment, “Magnus is an expert and I’m still just a beginner. I’ll need a ton more practice to get up to his level.” 

Maia choked on the water she was drinking.

“Magic is far more difficult than I anticipated.” Alec lifted his hand and the blue flames flickered in an out of existence. 

Magnus patted his shoulder. “Yes, well. That is why we have centuries, darling.”

“Remember,” Alec said to Magnus, “when we get back, you are going to have to give a report on the Shadow Energy here.”

“Yes, I know. I will report that there was an ancient relic giving off shadow energy and the Great Warlock Alec Bane properly disposed of it, problem solved.”

Alec nodded. He looked to the rest of them. “How’d it go? Everyone good?”

There was a solemn sort of collective nod. 

~~~

The trip back was tense. 

Jace caught up with Clary as they traveled. He reached for her hand but she shifted subtly out of his reach. He lowered his voice as he walked close to her. “Did you tell Simon about what happened in Alicante?” He asked. 

She shook her head harshly. “That isn’t important for him to know. Why? Did you tell Maia?” She asked, looking at him sharply. 

Jace shook his head. “Tell her what? By the way, if you’re going to be me, I should mention that I recently died and came back to life? No, I don’t think just because she’s living as me means she needs that information.”

“You know, we’ve never really talked about it.” Clary said, Simon’s words from the night before coming back to her. He was right. Ever since this whole thing had started - finding out she was a Shadowhunter, her father, all of it - she had been running on autopilot, just acting and reacting to what she felt at the time and what the situation was driving her towards, but she hadn’t really thought it all through, or come to terms with it.

Jace looked at her. “What is there to talk about?” 

She halted and looked at him incredulously. “Are you serious?” 

Jace shrugged. “It isn’t like we can change anything that happened, so no use hashing it out or worrying about it now.”

“Would you change it?” Clary asked. 

“What do you mean?” Jace asked starting to walk again so that no one would halt to listen to their conversation. 

“Would you change it? If you could? If you could go back and change how things happened would you have things happen differently?” Clary asked speaking softly and walking beside him. 

Jace shrugged again. “Maybe. I mean, there's probably a lot better things to wish for than me.” 

“So, if it had been the other way around, you wouldn’t have wished to bring me back?”

Jace whirled on her. “I didn’t say that!” 

“But it’s true,” Clary pressed, “you think I made the wrong decision.” 

Jace’s jaw tightened. “I really don’t think now is the time to get into this.” He said, his eyes flashing to the group ahead of them. 

Clary shook her head at him. “No, maybe not.” She replied, though her tone indicated she’d heard more than enough.

She stalked forward quickly to rejoin the rest of their group, falling in next to Isabelle who merely looked at her and said nothing. 

~~~

When they reached the city, they all looked to each other, the four newly minted Shadowhunters looking toward the towering Cathedral that now awaited them. 

Izzy took Clary’s hand and nodded to the group. “We go to the Glade. I mustn’t keep my Queen waiting.” 

Meliorn nodded in satisfaction. 

Jace put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, “I guess, I’m headed home?” 

Maia nodded at him.

Alec looked at Magnus. “And I guess I’m headed to the loft.” 

Magnus smiled softly. “Yes, and we’ll go make our report. Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out soon and everything will go back to normal.” 

So they all went their separate ways; back to a normalcy, to a daily grind and schedule and rituals that were not their own.

It was strange. The way that things seemed so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time. 

~~~

Izzy reached for Clary’s hand, summoning the charge inside her that Meliorn had helped her recognize and blowing softly at an area of wood before them before charging into what looked like a solid tree. 

Clary flinched but walked in with her. 

They crossed easily into the Seelie realm. Isabelle could feel the hum of it all around her, but also the constant eyes and thread of tension that beguiled the Seelie Queen’s absolute rule of this place. She moved her hand up to grip Clary’s upper arm. “OK, I have to take you to the Queen now.”

Clary nodded. She knew this was the agreement. But she had no idea what the Seelie Queen would want with her, how long she’d be forced to stay here, or anything else. 

The two girls entered the grove clearing where the Seelie Queen lounged on her throne and Isabelle unceremoniously threw Clary forward toward the Queen, quickly dropping to one knee herself and casting her eyes down. 

“My Queen,” Isabelle said, “I return having done as you asked. The Daylighter has returned as you bargained. I have observed nothing that would allow me to divulge to you the source of the Daylighter’s powers.” 

The Queen nodded, only giving Isabelle a brief glance before her eyes were glued to Clary’s. She stood and walked in a circle around her slowly. “Well met, Daylighter.” She crooned. 

Clary stood still as the Queen circled her. “I’m here,” she said dryly, “now what?”

The Queen halted, her eyes narrowing at the insolent tone. “Now, I will test you Daylighter. Since you are unwilling to divulge your secret to me, I will find it myself through…. trial and error.”

The Queen’s attention snapped to Isabelle. “Isabelle,” she ordered and Izzy felt the tether in her that bonded her to the Queen’s command tighten. “Make our guest comfortable for now. She will be staying with you to ensure she doesn’t get any ideas about leaving us. Tomorrow, we will start the tests.”

Isabelle stood, her fist over her heart. “Yes, my Queen.” She quickly grabbed Clary and hauled her towards Meliorn’s lodgings in the Glade. 

This was not going to be good.

~~~

As Meliorn, Simon, Maia, and Magnus stood in front of the Cathedral that housed the Institute they all took a deep breath. The other three looked to Magnus and he smiled. “Time to give our report.” He said calmly and strode into the front door of the Institute. 

The four walked across the marble floors and past the monitors and figures milling about in black, straight to the office of the Head of the Institute. Magnus opened a drawer on the left of the desk and pulled out some files and papers, handing each of the others a folder with a set of pages on top. 

“These are previous reports,” Magnus explained, “we each have to record our account of what happened and turn it in. Use those to understand the language and style to write in, and make sure you stick to the story we came up with. Entered the cavern, found an old relic, it was neutralized by Alec Bane and taken by him to be studied. No more threat or Shadow Energy. Case closed.” 

Maia stared at the pages in front of her. “We have to do paperwork?” She asked incredulously.

Magnus shrugged. “Apparently Shadowhunters haven’t 100% embraced the 21st century’s digital files.” 

The other three groaned. 

There was a knock at the door and Magnus looked up. “Umm, come in?” 

A Shadowhunter Magnus vaguely remembered seeing around before came in and looked at the group. 

“Apologies Magnus, if you and your unit are strategizing it must be very important, I can come back later.” 

Magnus waved a hand. “It’s fine. We were just finishing up.” He looked to the three before him. “Go to your rooms and get some rest, but I expect these reports on my desk by tomorrow morning.” 

Maia, Meliorn, and Simon moved to pass the Shadowhunter at the door, but he halted them. 

“Hey Maia,” he said quickly, “uh, if you’re still up for it, our sparring group would love to take you up on your offer to train us with seraph blades this afternoon.” 

Maia blinked. “Oh, uh, maybe some other time? I need to finish this report.”

The Shadowhunter laughed as if she was making a joke and put his arm around Maia’s shoulders. “Since when did you ever do paperwork rather than spar? That’s funny! So, we’ll see you in the training room after dinner?” 

Maia shrugged him off. “Sure. I’ll come by, see what you’ve got. If you impress me, maybe I’ll teach you a thing or two.” She said trying to channel Jace’s arrogance. 

They left the room, leaving the Shadowhunter to Magnus. 

Magnus looked him up and down but couldn’t for the life of him remember the boy’s name. 

“So…” Magnus said taking a seat at the desk and gesturing to the chair opposite him. “What can I do for you?”

The Shadowhunter began to blather on and on about reports and sightings and statistics, basically giving Magnus a run down of everything that had come up since they left the day before last. 

Magnus listened and tried to piece together what needed to be done. 

“So, we’ll dispatch a unit to handle the demon sightings in the Slums, and a pair to investigate the vampire drug ring.” Magnus replied. 

“A pair?” He shook his head. “Forgive me sir, but isn’t that a bit light for such a dangerous undertaking?” 

Magnus thought quickly. “Not if I’m sending two of my best.” 

The young man before him nodded. “Ah, I see.” 

Magnus followed up the lie, “I’ll have Meliorn and Simon handle it. Maia seems to be busy this evening and I’ll be catching up on paperwork for most of the time.” 

The young man nodded enthusiastically. “If it isn’t too bold, sir.” He started, his eyes on the floor. “I’d like to volunteer my unit for the demon sighting in the slums.” 

Magnus internally sighed with relief. He didn’t quite know enough of the groups to be able to pick, and if this kid wanted to go, it made his life a lot easier. “Very well. The Demon Sighting in the Slums is your mission. Prepare to leave tonight and I expect a full report as soon as you’ve completed it.” 

The young man beamed and jumped up from his chair. “Yes, Sir! You won’t regret this, Sir. I’ll begin preparations immediately and I’ll inform Meliorn and Simon of their mission as well.” 

He turned to leave and stopped at the door. “Uh, Sir?” He said. “Due to the nature of this mission, may we request specialized weaponry from Meliorn before we leave?” 

Magnus looked up at him. Jeez, they had to request access to their own weapons? Well, he could hardly send them out there unprepared. “Permission granted.”

The young man beamed again and sort of bowed as he opened the door to leave the room. “Thank you, Sir!” 

Magnus smiled to himself behind the desk. This leader thing wasn’t so hard. He glanced at the stacks of papers around him. Lots of paperwork, but not too hard. 

~~~~

 

Jace strolled into the apartment using the key Maia had given him, and looked around. It was small and Spartan, but clean and organized. He strolled over to the desk with the open planner on it and looked over the days. 

Maia had explained to him that she worked various shifts at the Hunter’s Moon, interspersed with her Marine Biology classes, and her patrol duty for the pack. He skimmed over the pages noticing several of the days with multiple listings on them. 

He looked at tomorrow and cringed. Four classes, a shift at the bar, and night patrol duty! Normally, he’d just blow off the classes, but Maia had threatened to castrate him if he did anything to ruin her grade point average or her job. He sighed and walked around the apartment a bit. 

It was strange really. He knew Maia. She was a sort of staple in his life, always around and there and often part of things, but never in the forefront. It was a bit jarring to realize that for the most part she lived a regular life, besides the whole full moon werewolf thing. He glanced at the planner again, where there was one day glaringly empty of any sort of commitments. The full moon was tomorrow night. Jace went to the door that lead to the basement and unlocked it with the second key he’d been given. Part of the reason Maia stayed in the apartment was for the basement. He walked down the cement stairs and stopped at the bottom. A small mattress, torn in many places, lay in the corner, but the rest of the room was bare. Just stone all around him, a tiny barred window set high in the room to show the setting sun like a timer. Nothing, except that mattress and the chains bolted to the wall near it. And all the scratch marks that marred the floor and walls. Jace shuddered at the sight. The change at the condo had been painful and a bit disorienting but according to Maia it was nothing compared to how it would be on the full moon. 

On the full moon, there would be no emotions or calming, no way to stop the full primal force that would shake within him until it came exploding to the surface. And it would last. It would go on for hours and hours as the night stretched on like an eternity to his animal senses. 

Jace left the basement warily. When he was back upstairs, he opened a book. Apparently, he had homework to do. 

~~~

Alec opened the familiar door to the loft and went inside. It was a bit strange to be there without Magnus. As much as it was like his own home as well, these were all Magnus’ things. This was Magnus’ taste and decor and life. It was a bit unsettling to be stepping so far into it. 

He should have asked Magnus to stay here with him, but he knew people would be suspicious if Magnus didn’t return to the Institute after an absence.He crawled into bed and let sleep overtake him. 

The next morning he was up early, practicing the meditation and energy focusing techniques Magnus had taught him, when there was a commotion at the front door.

Catarina waltzed in, a child no older than thirteen in tow behind her. 

“Alec,” Cat greeted, “I trust after your little vacation you’re back to task?”

Alec looked to the child, hoping against hope that he wasn’t supposed to recognize the face before him. 

Catarina followed his gaze. “This is Anaris,” she introduced, “they are in need of you help.” 

Alec nodded, cautiously trying to feel out the situation. “And what is it that you need from me Anaris?” He asked kindly. 

Catarina snorted. “What does every Warlock that comes to you for aid need, Alec? Honestly! They need need protection and guidance.” Cat narrowed her eyes a bit at him. “Are you feeling Ok?” 

Alec nodded quickly. “Yes. I’m fine. Just a bit out of sorts.”

“Did you and Magnus fight on the trip? I know how that upsets you.” She began crossing the room to embrace him. 

Alec stiffened a bit in her arms, awkwardly patting her shoulder. 

Catarina pulled back to look at him with a sigh. “Honestly Alexander. You’d think after centuries of life and hundreds of loves, you’d be less fragile in a relationship.” She headed over to the cart next to the sofa and began mixing herself a drink, looking up at him with a smile. “But I suppose that is one of the best things about you. No matter how many times you fall in love, each time is different and each time it is with your whole self, your whole heart.” 

Alec coughed and sat beside her on the sofa. 

Anaris joined them and taking a seat on the opposite couch. They were a beautiful child, if not a bit thin and worse for wear. Wavy blonde hair curling a bit on the ends around their ears and neck and keen dark brown eyes watching everything from a dirt smudged face. 

Alec looked at Anaris for a while before turning to Cat. “And what exactly am I protecting Anaris from?” 

Cat took a drink of her cocktail, handing the second one she had made to Alec and nodded to Anaris. “Tell the High Warlock your story.” 

Alec took the offered cocktail but didn’t take a drink. 

Anaris sighed. “I killed a Shadowhunter.” They said. 

Alec jerked in surprise. His brow furrowed in confusion. “You killed a Shadowhunter?” 

“Well, I mean, not on purpose.” Anaris cried, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth in front of the sofa. 

“I was walking home last night, minding my own business, when a group of Shadowhunters showed up in my part of town.”

“Anaris is a street child,” Cat clarified, “out in the fourth district.” 

Anaris didn’t pay any mind to her comment and just kept going. “They were tracking all over the area, some sort of search party or pattern or something. Anyways, they came across me and at first they just passed right by, but when they came by the second time, one of them knocked over my cart. All my stuff is in there! So I yelled at him and told him to watch where he was going! Apparently that surprised him and he turned back to me super fast and drew a sword on me! I backed up and held up my hands but he kept coming.” 

Alec watched the child grow agitated just from telling the story and that was when he noticed the tail flicking back and forth behind them; a long thin piece of black with a spaded end.

“He scared me.” Anaris continued halting the pacing, their tail coming up behind them and curling over their shoulder poised to strike like a scorpion. “And I cried out and the magic just exploded.” Anaris frowned. 

“Fire came out of my hands and just covered him in blue flames and my tail darted out and struck him right in the chest. I…I panicked and I ran. Cat found me on the bridge down the street. I was coming here. Everyone says if you’re a warlock in trouble you can go to Alec Bane.”

Anaris unconsciously reached behind them to grip their tail in their hands and twirl it a bit in an obvious gesture of anxiety. 

Alec noted that their hands were covered in dried blood, and that the tail looked sticky with it as well. 

Cat stared at him for a while and then stood abruptly, hauling Alec up by the arm. She turned to Anaris. “Why don’t you go grab a snack? I need to speak with Alec for a moment alone.” 

She whirled and pulled Alec into the bedroom nearby, shutting the door and turning to him, a ball of crackling electric power in her palm as she blocked the door and said with a growl. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Alec Bane?” 

~~~


	6. Harder Than It Looks

Chapter 6 - Harder Than it Looks

Izzy motioned Clary inside the draped doorway to the living space. 

“That wasn’t so bad.” Clary said taking a seat on the sofa. 

Izzy shook her head, claiming a seat on the opposite sofa. “Clary, I don’t think you’re really realizing how much is at stake here.”

Clary looked at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“The reason the Queen brought you here was to discover how you became a Daylighter. I know it seems normal to you since you’re still so new to all of this Downworld stuff, but a Daylighter is… it’s biblical, prophetic. A Daylighter literally takes the most major weakness of a vampire and negates it. You know they’re fast and strong and have hypnotic abilities, the only reason humanity isn’t overrun with them taking over is because something as simple as sunlight can defeat them. Even with that caveat they’ve managed to build an impressive hold in New York. If the Seelie Queen could get the information on how to create Daylighters…” Izzy shuddered. “I haven’t a clue what she’d do with it. Maybe she’s even curious on a way to use a similar technique on the Fae to free us from the bond of truth, but regardless, that information in her hands is a loaded gun.” 

Clary’s eyes went dark and narrowed. “Well, I won’t be the one who gives it to her.”

Izzy shook her head. “She isn’t just going to ask nicely.”

Clary turned the tables. “But you know too. You know how Simon became a Daylighter and yet you’re supposed to be unable to lie and you told her just then that you didn’t know.”

Izzy shook her head. “I told her that I had not observed anything that would tell me how the Daylighter came to be. That is true. Meliorn worked with me on how to flex around the truth like the Seelie do.” 

“What do you think she’ll do to me?” Clary asked. 

Izzy sighed, “I don’t know. The Seelie Queen runs on manipulation. Often she has her hand in things that you’d never expect. She delights in twisting and turning events until you feel like there is only one path before you, one choice with no other alternatives. Whatever she does, she’s going to make you feel like there is no other choice but to tell her what she wants to know.”

Clary contemplated that for a bit. “Izzy,” she asked, “if you had to make a choice between life and death for someone you loved, you’d choose to save them right?”

Izzy shrugged. “Maybe. It would depend on the counter cost. In exchange for my own life, in a heartbeat, but choices like that, they always have a price and often the one who makes the choice isn’t the one who has to pay it. I would never condemn someone I love to something like that.”

Clary nodded and stayed silent. 

“Clary?” Izzy said. “Can I ask you something serious?” 

Clary nodded. “You can ask,” she said smiling, “but unlike you I’m not compelled to answer.” 

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Are you in love with Jace?” She paused. “Or Simon?”

Clary blew out a breath. “I’m… I’m… God, I don’t know. I love them both, but in love with them? I’m not so sure I know what that looks like anymore.” 

Izzy nodded. “I know, you know?” She confessed. 

“Know what?” 

“That you used the Angel’s wish to bring Jace back. I heard the two of you talking about it on the way back here. Fae hearing is pretty sharp.” 

Clary froze. “Do you… do you think I did the right thing?” 

“Of...cccc… Yyy…” Isabelle gasped as each attempt snagged the air in her throat. Clary raised her eyebrows, sitting up sharply. 

“You don’t!” She cried. 

Isabelle sighed. “No, I don’t.” She said easily. 

“Jace is my brother and I love him dearly, but we are Shadowhunters, we know what is at risk every time we go out there. We are prepared to die for our cause. What you did, you took that honor from him, Clary. You made decisions thinking about yourself, not about others and I think that proves that you’re not truly in love with anyone. True love is selfless, it is giving and giving and giving with no need for return. It is taking on all the consequences and burdens rather than have someone else suffer them.

This isn’t the first time you’ve done this. You refused to allow Simon to die, you forced him into vampirism. When your mom died you wanted to bend the rules to bring her back. Now with Jace? You know there are always consequences, you’re just not the one that has to face them. So it’s easy, right? You get what you want. Let someone else suffer. If you truly loved them, you would have let them make their own choices, decide for themselves if they were willing to pay the price.” 

Clary snarled at her, her fangs snapping down and her speed zipping her across the room to be straddled over Isabelle in seconds, her fangs barred at the Fae woman as she grabbed her chin in a stone grip. 

Isabelle didn’t flinch as Clary yelled at her. 

“And how are they supposed to be able to make that choice, huh? How was I supposed to find out if Simon was willing to take on vampirism in order to come back to me? Just ask him? Oh, wait too late he was already dead. Because of me! And Jace? Dead, because of ME! All I’ve ever tried to do was to right the deaths that I’m causing! I… I…” her voice broke and she collapsed against Izzy blood tears streaming down her face. 

Izzy stroked her hair and held her. “I know, Clary. I know. Life isn’t easy. Those types of choices aren’t easy. But if we are going to survive this, survive whatever the Seelie Queen is going to do, I need you to open your eyes and see farther. See past the immediate decision, realize the consequences, realize when you’re being backed into a corner. I can’t judge. I don’t know what I would have done in your place. I’m sure that when you made those choices you thought it was the only way to go.” 

Izzy gripped Clary’s arms and held her back to stare in her eyes, tinged pink with the tears of blood. 

“I know you made what you thought was your only choice then. I know you were trapped and manipulated into seeing only one way, but I need you to grow from it. To become stronger. Because next time, I want you to see the way out. I don’t want you to blame yourself.” 

Isabelle grit her teeth hard as she spoke the words, carefully putting emphasis on certain points. 

Clary sniffed and her eyes grew wide. 

“Trapped?” She asked and Isabelle nodded.

“Manipulated?” She added and Izzy nodded again her eyes very sharp and alert. 

Clary’s mouth fell open. “You’re… you’re saying that I was put in a place to make those decisions? That someone made me believe that was my only choice? That those deaths weren’t my fault? That someone caused them? Someone…. Someone who likes manipulating people?” Clary asked suggestion heavy in her voice. 

Izzy only stared at her. 

Clary cursed and curled up next to Isabelle. “I am so out of my league here.” She whispered. 

Izzy wrapped an arm around her, “Don’t worry Clary. I’m here with you. I’ll help in any way I can. Let me take some of your burdens.” Izzy rested her head on top of Clary’s. She knew that Clary wouldn’t understand the meaning in her words, wouldn’t realize yet that she was trying to tell her that she loved her. It was as close as she dared come to confessing. Instead she rested her head on Clary’s soft red hair, curling the petite girl in her arms, offering her the little bit of strength and sanctuary she could, while they waited for what would come.

~~~

Meliorn had only just reached his room when the Shadowhunter that had entered the office previously was knocking at his door. 

He opened it and quirked an eyebrow at the younger man. “Yes?” 

“Uh,” the young man stammered and looked to the floor, “your brother, Magnus, has granted my unit a mission.” 

Meliorn stared at him for a beat. “And this pertains to me because?”

The boy stammered again. “Oh, uh, because, well, I mean… we were also given permission to request weaponry for our mission?” The words came out like a question. 

Meliorn nodded. “And I am the Weapon’s Master.” He concluded with a sigh. “Fine. Let’s go.” 

Isabelle had given him the codes to the weapon caches and he was well versed in all types. He should easily be able to tackle assigning the weapons. He was just logging out the last of the equipment when the young man turned back to the Weapon’s Master his eyes wide. 

“Oh yeah!” he said running over to Meliorn. “I also told Magnus I’d tell you that you and Simon are being assigned to the vampire drug ring investigation.” 

Meliorn’s eyes flew up to meet his. “I have a mission?” He asked. 

The young man nodded. 

“With Simon?” 

He nodded again. 

Meliorn cursed under his breath as the young man left. He finished the logs and stalked to Magnus’s office. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” He said throwing the door open without knocking. He entered the room and froze looking at the poised woman perched on the edge of the chair across from Magnus. Maryse Lightwood. 

She rose. “Ah Melion, darling, glad you’re here. I was just telling your brother about some new developments. Please take a seat.” 

Meliorn cut his eyes to Magnus and noticed the spark of mischief dancing in his eyes. He crossed the room and took the chair furthest from Maryse. 

She frowned slightly but took a seat and cleared her throat. 

“Since it has become apparent that your brother cares not for the reputation of this family and chooses to continue his dalliance with that Downworlder Alec Bane, we are considering other options.” Maryse said to Meliorn. 

Meliorn’s eyebrows rose and he looked to Magnus. “I don’t think it is a dalliance, ...Mother.” He said, the word feeling awkward on his tongue after so many centuries without any relations to speak of. 

Maryse pursed her lips. “Yes, well. Regardless of the apparent joy the two of you get from testing my patience with your rendezvous with Downworlders, it is high time that you put away childish things and start making strides towards building our family name for your generation. It’s a miracle we have a second chance after that fiasco your brother put on at his wedding, but I’ve managed to remind people that I have two sons. While you aren’t the Head of the Institute, Weapon’s Master is a valiant title and with Magnus insisting that he will be continuing this connection to Alec Bane, he will have no one to assist him in running the Institute. Anytime I’ve mentioned this, dear Magnus always seems to mention that he has his dear brother to assist him.” 

Meliorn nodded, “And assist him I shall. You know I take our duties very seriously and would always help Magnus do what is needed.” Meliorn had dealt with the Seelie Queen and her manipulations for centuries. He knew a manipulation trap when he heard one. He waited for Maryse to spring her point.

“Exactly,” she beamed, “I knew you’d agree. So we will be bringing in potential suitors for you next week! If things go well, which I’m sure they will, there’ll hardly be a difference!” 

Meliorn stared at her. “Hardly a difference?” He asked incredulously. “Between marrying me and marrying Magnus?” 

Maryse nodded. “It’s still marrying a Lightwood son who will offer a place in the leadership of the New York Institute. Even with your reputation there are some who would consider it.” 

Meliorn stared at her some more. Did this woman seriously think that marriage was nothing more than the connection it created in society?

“And if I refuse?” Meliorn countered.

Maryse’s eyes narrowed. 

“Meliorn,” she said in a low growl, “your brother has already made a mockery of our family with his antics. If it weren’t for the fact that he was so instrumental in the downfall of Valentine, I doubt our family would even still be able to stay at this Institute. It is time for you to stand up and do your duty for this family. The Angel knows that it is hard enough to get a suitor to look at you with all the blatant traipsing about you do with the Downworlders. Now that Magnus has made his position clear that he intends to continue this “thing” with Alec Bane, it is going to be up to you to restore our family name. So, I suggest you put aside all this childish cry-for-attention attitude, grow up, and do what needs to be done.” 

Maryse didn’t wait for an answer before she turned on her heel and stalked to the door, although she turned around and offered another remark over her shoulder when she got there. “And do wear something presentable when you meet with your suitors, we don’t need you giving it all away.”

She shut the door with a firm click.

Meliorn looked to Magnus as if to ask ‘Did that just happen?’. 

Magnus nodded. “I’ve never liked that woman,” Magnus said, “I always thought she was hard on Alec because of his orientation, but I guess I never really saw how she interacted with Isabelle. Perhaps she is just that awful to everyone.” 

Meliorn gaped at the door. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He sunk down into the sofa his hand covering his face. “I have been here less than a day and you’ve gotten me assigned to a mission with the most clueless person on the planet and set to be engaged by the end of the week!” 

Magnus grinned. “I’d say I’ve done enough work for today and earned myself a drink!” He reached behind him to the bottle of scotch on the bookcase that he had gifted to Alec previously. He poured two glasses and handed one to Meliorn. 

Meliorn sighed in defeat. “Alright, tell me about this mission I’m supposed to go on. Perhaps I’ll get lucky and die while I’m out there so I don’t have to continue this misery.” 

A few hours later, it was dark and Meliorn was walking down an alley with Simon close-by jabbering away. 

“So, what’s going to happen when we all switch back and this suitor person is engaged to Isabelle instead of you? I mean, I think someone is going to notice that something is off about that?” Simon blabbered. 

Meliorn turned to him sharply. He had been talking non-stop since they left the Institute. 

“Listen, little Daylighter.” he said sharply. 

“Shadowhunter.” Simon corrected. 

Meliorn rolled his eyes. “Little annoying creature.” He amended. 

“We are stuck in this situation and we must do this mission, so could you please, focus on the task at hand and try to be somewhat useful rather than get us both killed?”

Simon nodded. “Yeah, sure.” 

Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, Simon did very little. He had thought that with his experience as a vampire he would be helpful in the investigation, but Meliorn’s centuries of life experience proved to be far more valuable than his measly few months as a vampire. 

The whole thing had taken only a few hours and it was only just chiming midnight when they were getting ready to head back to the Institute to report in. 

“How did you know that vampire was lying?” Simon asked as they turned down an alleyway. 

Meliorn shrugged. “Because the story had too much detail. No one remembers that much about something they aren’t involved in and no one offers that much detail on whereabouts unless they’re getting something out of it or trying to lead you astray.” 

Simon grinned. “You really are a badass, you know that?” 

Meliorn quirked an eyebrow at him. 

Simon continued on, half reenacting the fight Meliorn had with the vamp. “He was all like *zip* and you were all like *nuh-uh* and then he was like *snap* and you were like *smash*.” Simon twirled around in the alley throwing punches and bites and swats. 

Meliorn rolled his eyes, too focused on evading Simon’s antics to notice the shadows at the top of the building nearby. 

The vampires dropped in like silent rain from above, five of them in total. 

One went straight for Simon while the other four circled Meliorn, recognizing the bigger threat. 

It was a blur then, Meliorn’s seraph blade dancing through the air, cutting down enemies. Simon hadn’t been impressed earlier for nothing. Hundreds of years of training made him an awe to behold. 

Simon managed to fend off his single attacker, not allowing himself time to feel remorse at the beheading he’d just completed. He looked to Meliorn as he twirled like a dancer through the fray of vampires, moving at unnatural speeds against him. 

He’d felled two of them, focusing now on the other two that he had forced into positions in front of him. Just as he lunged for them both with a single strike, Simon saw another shadow dropping from the rooftop. He yelled out and lunged for Meliorn, coming between Meliorn’s back and the attacking vampire. Teeth sank into Simon’s neck, nails raking from his shoulders down his chest as his body blocked the attack on Meliorn’s back. 

The pain was nothing compared to the panic. He shoved the vampire away from him, pressing his back against Meliorn’s for assurance. 

Meliorn’s eyes went wide, keeping his focus on the single vampire that had managed to evade his previous assault and was still in front of him. “Are you all right?”

Simon managed a weak reply. “Let’s finish this.”

When their ambushers had been taken care of, Meliorn turned to Simon. “Where is your Iratze rune?” 

Simon groaned as he leaned against the brick wall. “The healy one?” He asked. 

Meliorn nodded. “Yes, the healy one. Where is it?” He already had a Stele out. 

Simon turned his head to his side, to show the space where the vampire had tore into the side of his neck. He let out a mirthless chuckle. “Pretty sure it was here.” 

Meliorn frowned at him. “We’ll have to draw a new one I think.” He scanned Simon’s body, his shirt in tatters, the side of his neck dripping blood down his shoulder to mix with the dark stains on his front. 

He reached out cautiously to Simon. “Your back I think.” 

Simon turned around, still bracing himself on the wall. 

Meliorn tore the shirt open at the collar, ripping it to reveal Simon’s back. There were a couple runes there already but much more unmarred skin to work with. 

Meliorn placed a hand on Simon’s uninjured shoulder, his knees coming in behind Simon’s as he pressed his lower half into him to hold him still. “This will hurt.” He warned before the Stele touched unmarred skin and the burn sizzled. 

Simon’s head tipped back in pain and he grit his teeth, a sharp inhale of breath indicating his discomfort as he pressed hard against Meliorn behind him. 

“That was reckless, you know.” Meliorn said as the Iratze rune continued to glow with power and knit the skin on Simon’s throat and chest back together. He didn’t release his hold as he kept Simon as still as possible while the rune mended him. 

Simon shrugged and hissed at the pain of it. “Yeah I know, but I didn’t want you to get hurt.” 

Meliorn rolled his eyes. “So you threw yourself between me and danger? Honestly little creature, you’ve got to start using your head. I know there’s an intelligence in there. If you’re going to survive you’ve got to stop playing around like everything is a game and start thinking, start being serious.” 

Simon shoved away from the wall abruptly, pushing Meliorn away from him. He narrowed his eyes at him. “Like you?” He challenged.

Meliorn nodded. “Yes, you could learn a thing or two from me.” 

Simon snorted. “Like how to make everything a calculation?” His eyes shifted to the dust of the fallen vampires around them. “Like how to kill without remorse? No thanks. I think I’ll keep being the way that I am.” 

Meliorn grabbed his arm. “I don’t do any of this lightly. I’m trying to teach you! You’re still new, you still don’t understand.” 

 

“Understand what?” Simon shouted. 

“The pain.” Meliorn responded. “The deceit. The treachery.” He shook his head letting go of Simon’s arm. “You are still too pure for this world of darkness little Daylighter. I am not surprised that you are the only one among your kind that can stand the brightness of the sun, because the dark has not yet tainted you. But when it does, it will be painful. Our kinds, they live for millenia. It is a different game board we play on and you aren’t able to see far enough ahead yet. You’re still playing checkers while you’ve been thrust into a game of Shogi.” 

 

“So what?” Simon asked angrily. “Because I’m a vampire now I should just resign myself to the gloom and doom of my existence? Become one of those cliche goth tropes that hates life?”

“This is serious,” Meliorn said scowling, “why must you trivialize and joke about everything?”

“Because it’s the only choice I have.” Simon blurted. 

Meliorn froze at the pain that dripped from the statement. 

Simon’s voice grew quieter. “I didn’t choose this. I didn’t decide to become a vampire, or even a Daylighter. I didn’t get a say in the matter. I’ve been changed and changed and pushed around the board like a pawn. Life is dealing me shit so I’m going to use it to grow flowers.” He looked up at Meliorn, tears shining in his eyes. “If I think like you, if I look at the world and see everything I’ve lost and everything that is against me right now, I’d lay down and never get up again. I’d be crushed by it. So I just choose not to. I choose not to look at all the negative and to focus on the positive, to remind myself that even if it wasn’t my choice, I’m still here. Even if it wasn’t my choice, I’m a Daylighter. And the only thing that is my choice is how I deal with it, so I’m going to joke about it. I’m going to laugh and poke fun and pretend it doesn’t hurt, that I know what I’m doing, that all of this is a spectacular adventure rather than a crushing horror story. Because that is the only control I have.” 

Meliorn stood there silently. He had never thought about it that way. He’d only ever seen how the little Daylighter seemed to roll with everything like nothing bothered him, like life was just one big party. But with the tears in his eyes, Meliorn could see the mask slipping. See the fear and the hurt beneath that beguiled the changes that hadn’t been dealt with yet. 

“You are still so young, little Daylighter,” Meliorn said softly, “I suppose it is to be expected that you go through your rebellious adolescent stage. I’ll just have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t do anything too stupid.” He offered Simon a small smile and Simon gave him a grin in return. 

“I dunno if you can handle me. I’m quite a handful! But, I suppose, since you’re so much wiser than me,” Simon said, “I could stand to listen to a little of your wisdom.” 

They started back towards the Institute, Meliorn supporting Simon a bit with his arm around his shoulder. 

“It is never easy, you know,” Meliorn confided, “becoming an immortal, changing what you are, learning a new way of life.”

Simon looked sideways at him. “And what would you know about that?” 

Meliorn lowered his voice. “I was not always one of the Fae.” 

Simon stumbled at the words. “What? Really? How is that possible?” 

“I am a half,” Meliorn confided, “my mother was mortal and my father Seelie. My mother knew as soon as I was born that I would be a target. The Fae cannot reproduce well among their own. Most full blooded Fae children are stillborn or very frail. It is not uncommon for them to seduce mortals for the sake of creating half Fae that they may transform to full Fae later, often trading the child at birth with a brittle full Fae child that will die in the human world. My mother tried to shield me. I grew up for a while, no knowledge of what I was, just a regular child. I was fifteen when the Seelie Queen found me. A fire had broken out in our village and my mother had been caught inside. I tried to save her. I pulled her from the flames earning myself quite a few burns in the process, but, I guess, the smoke had already gotten to her. She drew no more breathe. That same evening found me wandering the woods near our home with nowhere to go. The Seelie Queen sensed my presence and came to me. She recognized my lineage immediately and offered me a place in her Court. If I would swear my fealty to her, she would take me to her realm and make me a full Seelie with a Knighthood. So I joined her. It was strange at first, learning how to be a Seelie when my whole life I hadn't even known what one was. There were many who shunned me because I was half and different, but eventually most of them forgot that I wasn’t always one of them.” 

Simon blinked. “So you were human once?”

Meliorn shook his head. “Not exactly. I was always half Seelie, I just never knew it. Kind of like Clary. She’s always been a Shadowhunter, even if she never knew what that was or meant.”

They walked in silence for a while before Meliorn added, “I guess you just remind me of myself. My first few hundred years as a Seelie were hard. I was naive and carefree. I didn’t know what type of world I found myself in and I lost a lot because of it. I trusted too freely and offered information too easily and it cost me dearly.” 

Simon stepped away from Meliorn as they entered the building. “Yeah well, all I can say is if my life is going to be a tragedy anyways, it might as well be a comedic one.” 

Meliorn smiled at him. 

“See, that’s what I’m looking for.” Simon said with delight. “There’s more than enough doom and gloom with everyone. If all I do is make one person smile each day, then I think I’ve done something worthwhile.” 

They were smiling at each other for a moment before the doors burst open and two young men carried another into the Institute, covered in blood. And then there was chaos again. 

~~~


	7. Harder Than It Looks - Part 2

Chapter 7 - Harder than it looks- part 2

Magnus was starting to understand how Alec constantly lost track of time doing this tedious paperwork. He was considering going to bed since the paperwork would all be there in the morning, but he was also sort of waiting on Simon and Meliorn to return. Honestly, the Shadowhunters would benefit greatly from being in the know with the Downworlders. Magnus had heard about their so-called “Vampire Drug Ring” months ago. A group that had split off from Camille’s faction after Raphael took over had taken to selling drugs to raise capital for their living expenses. 

The Shadowhunters were concerned the drug of choice was made from vampire venom and thus against the Accords, but Magnus knew from a reliable source that the drug was just a garden variety opioid. The new vamps simply needed to raise funds for a place to live and to secure their blood needs. Drug dealing was a common practice with young vamps. It allowed them access to various low threat targets for meals, kept them in dark alleys and out of the sunlight and ran a healthy profit. 

Magnus stood from the desk, stretching a bit and thinking he’d done quite a good amount of work and deserved some sleep, when all hell broke loose. A Shadowhunter covered in dirt and tattered clothes threw open the door to Magnus’s office a grim look on his face. 

“What is it?” Magnus asked immediately recognizing the serious expression. “It’s Duncan,” the Shadowhunter replied, “he was attacked by the demon we were hunting. The Iratze isn’t working…”

Magnus dashed to the door and was on the first floor in minutes. Simon and Meliorn stood nearby while two other Shadowhunters stood on either side of a cold looking glass top table, a bloodied body on the table between them. The stench of burnt skin thick in the air.

Magnus approached the table, the young Shadowhunter laid upon it was unrecognizable as the one that was in his office earlier, Duncan. Duncan didn’t look so chipper anymore. His clothes were singed and blood covered his front. One of the Shadowhunters next to the table, held a bundle of cloth, soaked in blood, to the wound on his chest trying to stop the bleeding. 

“Report.” Magnus snapped at them as his eyes looked over Duncan critically. Of their own volition, his hands began to hover over the body, automatically trying to use his magic to sense or help the situation. He caught himself and pulled his hands back quickly. 

The Shadowhunter that wasn’t trying to stop the bleeding turned to Magnus. 

“We went on the mission as instructed,” he began. “We set up search grids and patrolled to find any sign of the demon in the Slums. Duncan, well, he found it! The thing set him on fire with blue flames and then stabbed him through the chest when he tried to run away! We’ve tried to use the Iratze rune to stop the bleeding but it isn’t working. We’ve currently put him to sleep to keep him still.” 

Magnus nodded in understanding. “I need to see the wound, get these clothes cut off him.” 

Meliorn and Simon came forward and helped Magnus take care of the wounded Shadowhunter. Magnus studied the wound, recognizing the arrow like puncture and noticing the glistening at the edges. The barb that had struck him was poisoned. 

He looked to Meliorn. “We need to contact Alec.” 

Meliorn left without another word. 

Magnus looked to the other Shadowhunters of Duncan’s unit. “What did this demon look like?” He asked. 

They all gave descriptions of a small being with a barbed tail. Magnus cringed internally. He knew their nightmarish hyperbole was meant to descript Anaris. Magnus was well aware of all of the warlocks in his city, especially those with gifts like his own. The young Anaris would be a sort of cousin to him, their demonic parent being a close relation to Magnus’s own. When they had first arrived, Magnus had offered to allow Anaris to stay with him, but they were too proud and wouldn’t agree to the arrangement. 

If Anaris had indeed attacked a Shadowhunter, this was going to be bad. Honestly, how could this unit not tell the difference between a demon and a warlock! 

Magnus gave a narrowed glare at the member of the team that had burst into his study. “Do you usually operate such dangerous missions without pairing off?” He asked hotly. 

The teen sat in his chair head in his hands, when he looked up, Magnus could see tears shining in his eyes. “I felt it.” He murmured. 

 

“Felt what?” Magnus asked. 

The boy touched a mark on his forearm, the Parabatai rune. 

“Everything.” He managed to say. The rune on his forearm was fading and he just kept rubbing his hand back and forth across it. “He was so happy. Stoked to have his first real mission. Magnus really believes in us, he was saying, so we better not let him down. Duncan didn’t want to miss any of the area we were searching so we all split up to make sure that nothing could slip past us. I was just walking down the alley next to him and I felt this spike of terror in him so I took off towards him, but when the fire hit, I fell to my knees. It was awful, and then there was this piercing pain that shot a hole right through me.” The boy pressed over the left of his chest, just where the barbed tail had torn through Duncan.

The words caused a deafening silence in Magnus’s head. Their first mission. He had sent a young bunch of new Shadowhunters out on a Demon hunt. Of course, to him, they all looked young. Magnus looked at all the faces gathered solemnly around in the foyer, none of them looked over 25. But none of them looked angry either. No one was shocked or surprised or upset; just looks of disappointment and sympathy. 

Duncan’s Parabatai managed to look up and meet Magnus’s eyes. “Will you punish me?” He asked. 

Magnus reeled back in alarm. “Punish you? For what?”

Another nearby Shadowhunter took a step forward, a hard look on his face. “For not protecting his Parabatai, for abandoning his mission, and for forgoing protocol.” 

Magnus looked to the man who spoke. He’d seen him a few times around the Institute and the young man held a decent amount of support. Raj, Magnus remembered.

Magnus narrowed his eyes. “Do you not think this young man has suffered enough?” 

Raj sneered at Magnus. “The Law is hard but it is the Law.” He quoted. 

Magnus barely contained rolling his eyes.

“We have rules for a reason,” Raj continued, by forgoing protocol, he left his Parabatai in peril and by choosing to bring his Parabatai back here rather than finish his mission he has left countless others in peril. Every time one of us steps out of that door it is with the understanding that we may not come back. We serve a duty, a purpose, and he has turned his back on that. He will be punished.” 

Raj stepped forward to the young man crying silently. “Rest assured though, Hunter,” he said softly, “we will find the demon responsible for this and they too will pay.” 

Hunter sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes snapping to the table where Duncan began to convulse violently, Simon and the two other Shadowhunters from the unit trying to hold him down and keep him still. 

Hunter shrieked and held out his arm in disbelief as Duncan stopped. Non-coherent words were flowing from Hunter’s mouth, tears streaming down his face as he gripped his own arm to his chest, where the Parabatai rune faded out of existence. 

Magnus could only look on helplessly, hoping that Meliorn hurried to retrieve Alec, but also terrified of what would await him when Alec learned that Magnus had sent one of this Shadowhunter’s to their death. 

Magnus had often berated the Shadowhunters for so often seeking out his aid and barging into his loft expecting him to solve their problems, but tonight, he wished with all his might that he had his magic. With his magic, he could have saved this boy, he could have spared a life. 

This leader thing was much harder than it looked. 

~~~

Alec stared at Catarina wide eyed. “What, what do you mean?”

Catarina stood firmly between him and the door. “I mean exactly what I said. Who are you and what have you done with Alec Bane? I have known him for centuries and you are not him!” 

Alec let out a sigh. “Well, I am Alec,” he said, “I’m just not Alec Bane.” 

Catarina raised an eyebrow and Alec raised up both his hands in a placating gesture. “Just hear me out. You remember me, my face and my name, but the actions, the life you remember it wasn’t mine. Do you… do you know what the Balancing is?”

Catarina twirled the flames in her hand idly. “Of course I know what the Balancing is! Ragnor wouldn’t shut up about it to us centuries ago!” The flames grew taller and she stepped threateningly towards him. “What have you done with the real Alec?” 

Alec took a step back. “I am Alec!” He tried. “I’m trying to explain to you that I’m a part of the Balancing. I’m Alec Lightwood, but I traded places with Magnus Bane. The Alec you remember is really Magnus. It isn’t me.” 

Catarina stared at him for a moment. “That would explain a lot. Like why you haven’t used a lick of magic since I’ve been here, why you didn’t touch the drink I made for you, and why you didn’t have a complete meltdown when Anaris told his story.” 

Alec nodded. “Yeah, I don’t have a handle on the magic yet and Magnus is much more of a drinker than me. But, wait, why would I have been upset by Anaris’ story?”

Catarina let the flame drop. “Because the Alec I know would have seen himself, would have seen a childhood flashback of a little warlock who engulfed someone in blue flames, who let his magic go out of control and killed someone, who thinks he’s a monster… A Bane.”

Alec swallowed hard. Magnus had hurt someone with his magic? That was why he chose the name he had? 

Catarina sat down and crossed her legs. “I'm not saying that I believe or don’t believe you,” she said cautiously, “but if you did enact the Balancing, then what are we going to do about helping Anaris? I brought them here for the High Warlock of Brooklyn not some wannabe trade-in.” 

Alec snorted. “Lucky for you, I know where to find him.” 

“Why don’t you just switch back and save us all some trouble?” Catarina asked. 

“Do you know how to do that?” Alec asked quickly. 

Catarina rolled her eyes, “I don’t know everything darling, but I do know how to find or research anything. I’m sure with how interested Ragnor was about it he kept notes. I’ll see if they’re in any of the things I have of his. You just make sure that nothing happens to Anaris. Those Shadowhunters are going to be out for blood if one of their own died at the hands of a Warlock.” 

Alec shook his head, “Anaris is young. They won’t be charged for an accident. I’m sure the Shadowhunter is fine, a few Iratze and good as new, and besides they wouldn’t want to tell anyone they got bested by an underage warlock.” 

Cat raised her brow at him. “I don’t know who you were before you switched or what little fantasyland you lived in, but you clearly don’t know how things work for the Downworlders. They will say that Anaris is rogue, that they purposefully harmed a Shadowhunter and that they should be held accountable. At minimum the Shadowhunters will request that Anaris be held until they can ‘control their powers at an acceptable level to ensure they don’t harm anyone.’” She airquoted the last bit with sarcasm. “Lock them away for a few thousand years until none of the Shadowhunters remember what Anaris is in for and just assume they deserve to be there or should be put down.” 

Alec shook his head fiercely. “That is not how the Shadowhunter Law works.” 

Catarina snorted. “It is. It has. And it always will be.” She reached up and took a hand full of Alec’s collar, pulling him down to eye level with her. “Listen here little dress-up warlock, you may be switched, but for now, you are one of us. You are a Downworlder, a Warlock, and on top of it all the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Your job is to protect those like you, and the biggest threat we face in all of the worlds is and always has been persecution from the Shadowhunters. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come barging in your door asking for your aid and your assistance to help their wounded, but remember that your help comes at a price, remember who you work for and where your loyalties lie. Even if you were switched, for now, you are Alec Bane and I need you to act like it, because that child in there is counting on you.”

There was a pounding at the front door and they headed out of the bedroom, Alec going to the door and Catarina shuffling Anaris out onto the balcony to be hidden from view. 

“Alec! Alec!” A voice yelled through the door. “Open up, it’s Meliorn.”

Alec opened the door and Meliorn barged in. “We need you at the Institute. And Magnus will need an antidote. A Shadowhunter has been gravely injured.” 

Cat gave a stern look at Alec as he looked over to her. She walked across the room and took a vial from one of the bookshelves. She pressed it into Alec’s hand. 

“Go,” she said seriously, “but remember what price your help comes at.” 

Alec nodded. He took the vial and turned to Meliorn. “Let’s go,” he started to step outside the door when Catarina cut in, “wouldn’t a portal be faster?” 

She raised a brow at him and Alec stopped. 

“I… I don’t think I can.” 

Cat sighed dramatically, stepping close to Alec so that only he could hear her. “If you’re going to do this, you better start practicing. Portals are the easiest. Just envision the place you want to go. See beyond what is in front of you and press space and time aside, it will feel heavy and like holding back water, but you must do it.” 

Alec listened carefully, putting all the knowledge he had about using portals and the instructions that Magnus had given him on how to access magic to use, he closed his eyes and began to draw circles in the air with his arms. He recalled the way Magnus had done it so effortlessly in the past, the arc of his arms and the way that the world had opened like a mirror. 

He felt the warm flow of energy through his body and as Catarina had suggested the strange heaviness of pushing back a flow of water. He opened his eyes and a portal swirled before him. He smiled broadly and Cat nodded once in approval. 

“Let’s go,” Alec said to Meliorn and stepped boldly into the swirling veil of magic. 

They couldn’t portal directly into the Institute, but they came out in the little park nearby and were inside quickly. 

Alec stepped through the hallway just in time to hear an anguished scream. A sound he knew too well, a sound no one ever wanted to hear, the sound of one’s soulbond being ripped from you. He ran forward hoping to be able to do something, anything. 

Magnus turned to him, a sad look on his face, as he shook his head once in the negative. 

Alec dropped the bottle he was holding and it shattered on the floor. He was too late. He hadn’t been able to help. His knees felt weak. All those times that Magnus had been called upon to help him and his friends, all the injuries and spells and other various trouble they managed to get into, Magnus had always been able to get there in time. His knowledge, his power, his abilities, they’d saved so many lives. People looked to him for help. And for the first time, Alec felt what that burden was like. The weight of expectation to be able to fix everything, the feeling that magic was a cure-all, the anger directed at him from those gathered that he dare intrude on their space and way of life if he wasn’t there to help.

“I… I’m..” Alec started. 

Magnus shook his head, “It’s fine Alec, you came as quickly as you could.” 

Raj stalked forward to Magnus. “We must go after this demon. We owe it a blood debt for our fallen kin and we cannot leave it out there to hurt others.” 

Alec and Magnus exchanged a look. 

“Demon?” Alec asked. 

Magnus nodded. “Yes, the group was on a hunt for a potential demon spotting in the Slums. Duncan apparently found the creature and it… killed him.” 

Raj gave Alec a cold look, “Excuse us, Demon Spawn, but you were of no use here, so do leave. We have Shadowhunter business to attend to.” 

 

Alec’s eyes grew wide at the blatant slander and disrespect. Was that how Magnus was treated anytime he was at the Institute?

Magnus reached out to Alec’s shoulder. “I’ll walk you out.” 

They headed for the doorway and Alec whispered quietly. “It wasn’t a demon.”

Magnus nodded. “I know. Anaris.” 

Alec stood on the steps and looked to Magnus. “What are we going to do? Catarina said that if they find out it was Anaris, they’ll lock them up.” 

Magnus nodded. “It has happened before. We are, after all, demon spawn. There are many that believe us just as deadly as our parent that grants us our abilities.” 

Alec flinched at the reference to what Raj had said.

Alec shook his head. “But all the good you’ve done. Magic, it isn’t easy, Anaris didn’t want to hurt anyone.” 

Magnus reached out and put a hand to Alec’s cheek. “Alexander,” he said softly, “this is exactly why I am constantly surprised by you. A Shadowhunter with a heart? One that can see beyond himself and think of others? You are truly a gift.” 

Alec kissed him softly. “What are we going to do? We can’t let anything happen to Anaris.”

Magnus nodded. “Alec, you are aware that I always want what is fair and just, yes? And that I never want to cause anyone harm if I can keep from it?”

Alec nodded hesitantly. “Yes…” 

“Then listen to what I am about to tell you because it is exactly what I would do in this circumstance. I know you aren’t going to like it, and it is risky, but maybe now that you see things from my side, you’ll understand.” 

Magnus laid out a plan to Alec and true to form Alec frowned in discontent. “Magnus, there are a lot of ways that could go wrong. What if someone else gets hurt?” 

Magnus shook his head. “Normally, I’d make sure that didn’t happen. But today, you have to do that. You’re going to have to learn the magic and use it. Besides, if Catarina finds anything to help us switch back, we’ll likely need your magic to be able to get anywhere!” 

Alec nodded his understanding. “Alright,” he conceded, “but be careful.” He said seriously. 

“I’m always careful.” Magnus chided. 

Alec grabbed him and kissed him again. “Seriously.”

Magnus smiled. “I promise Alexander, I’ll be careful.” 

Alec didn’t let him go. 

“What’s wrong?” Magnus asked, seeing more concern there than usual. 

“It’s just that… our entire relationship I’ve know that you’re immortal, that you are so powerful and capable that there is little to nothing that could take you away from me. But now… seeing you with my runes? Knowing the abilities you have and the dangers you are facing, knowing that as a Shadowhunter you leave for each mission not expecting to come back alive?” Alec shuddered. “I’m not sure I can handle that feeling.” 

Magnus held him close. “I always thought as the High Warlock of Brooklyn that I was a leader, but seeing the respect and the weight of your command, Alec, I don’t know how you do it. How you stand tall day after day and make these decisions with lives in your hands never knowing if they are the right ones. And to still be able to see beyond the pain and the lives of those you lead, to be able to see the other side of the coin and grant mercy and compassion to others….” Magnus shook his head. “You really are something, Alexander.” 

They kissed again. Alec pulling away slowly. “I have to go if this plan is going to work.”

Magnus nodded. “Yes. It will work. And when it is over, I’m staying over at your place.” He gave Alec a grin. 

“Absolutely.” Alec agreed. He turned and traced his hands in the air. The portal opened before Magnus could comment and Alec disappeared through it back to the apartment building with the penthouse loft. 

~~~

Jace wandered aimlessly around the little apartment. It was awful just sitting around waiting, but it wasn’t exactly like he could go out anywhere. The full moon. It was going to be rising at any minute now. It seemed so strange to be worried about it when just earlier that day he had been worried about whether or not he was going to flunk the marine biology quiz he had to take. 

He was amused how mundane Maia had kept her life. Other than the chains in the basement, everything was blissfully ordinary. He wanted to die from the boredom of it. He lived for excitement and adventure. He wanted to be training or hunting, not reading or studying! 

At first he had thought about skipping the classes and the shift at the bar, but then he’d been nosy and opened up a file on the computer marked “budget.” 

He’d never really thought about it, that Maia didn’t have any parents. While Luke was her pack leader, he was more like an Uncle to her. When Jace had tried to ask Luke about the change and what he should do, expecting the fatherly advice and compassion Luke always held for Clary, Luke had brushed him off a bit, mentioning something about needing to go see Simon because he hadn’t heard from him lately. 

He’d realized it slowly as he went about his day. No one called or texted. No one came by. In fact, other than the people who greeted him casually at the bar to order drinks or make small talk and the teacher who called on him for an answer, no one else spoke to him or noticed him all day. 

And when he opened that file and saw the carefully tallied rows showing just how Maia paid for the apartment, the utilities, the tuition, the books, everything; how she was doing this on her own, a small spark of admiration grew in him. He knew that while this might not be adventure and hunt he was craving, it was a battle in and of itself and he wouldn’t allow her to be in a bad spot because of him. 

Actually, he had worked forward on the homework, pulled a double at the bar and used some of his flirty charm to gain a little extra in tips that day. 

He was feeling pretty good until he walked home and opened the door to the empty apartment. He looked into the space and like a magnet his eyes were drawn to the basement door. Maia had told him to go down and chain himself before the change took place. That once he was transformed, he wouldn’t be in his right mind. 

She’d warned him that it would be painful and that afterwards he would ache in ways he couldn’t imagine. As he took the stairs down to the dingy cement floored room, his mind conjured images of her here alone. He frowned. How many times had she done this? How much did she endure without a word? He sat on the mattress and fastened a shackle over one ankle and was reaching for another when he heard the door open quietly. 

He held his breath, his eyes flashing to the tiny window at the top of the basement, checking the sky. It was too close to time, who would be here? 

The door to the basement opened and Maia appeared on the top stair. 

Jace looked at her, one leg in shackles as he clamped another onto his wrist. He smiled at her, “If you wanted to see me all chained up, all you had to do was ask.” 

Maia rolled her eyes. “I… I didn’t want you to be alone.” She confessed. 

“The first one is always the worst, and well, I don’t know if that is because it is your first experience or what, but I figured you deserved someone to be here with you through it. To not be alone.”

Jace looked at her, reading the unsaid part of her comment, ‘like I always am.’ 

Jace shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I’m going to be dangerous.” He snapped the other ankle shackle in place and reached toward the wall for the last one. When he looked back up she was standing just before him. 

She took the shackle out of his hand. “I’m not afraid of you Jace.” She snapped the shackle bracelet around his wrist but didn’t step back away from him. 

Jace stared at her and swallowed hard. 

She grinned at him. “Actually, this is really convenient.” She said strolling to the stairs and sitting on the bottom one. “You’re stuck here with no place to go.”

Jace smirked at her. “I don’t think you’re going to get to have your way with me like you did in the alley.” 

Maia’s eyes flickered with mischief. “Oh, yes. The alley. What exactly was that?”

Jace looked at her. “What do you mean?”

Maia smiled slowly at him. “I think we should talk about what that meant. About our relationship. What am I to you Jace?” 

Jace’s eyes went wide and he realized that with the chains he had nowhere to go. 

Maia laughed at the panicked look on his face. “Relax,” she said finally, “I just wanted to ramp you up. We don’t have anything to talk about.” 

Jace let out a breath. And then the first lance of pain ripped through him. “Ungh.” He said as his back bowed and he strained against the chains. 

Maia was in front of him instantly, her hand on his chest, stroking gently. “Breathe.” She instructed. 

“Breathe through the pain. It’s going to come in waves and you have to try and breathe and relax into it. Your body is going to want you to tense up, but if you do that, every muscle in you is going to scream in pain tomorrow. You have to let it go.” She petted his hair and his chest as he grit his teeth against the next wave of pain. 

“Don’t tense,” she instructed, “relax.” 

Jace hissed a bit through his teeth. “Yeah you try that when there’s a jolt of pain going through your body.” 

Maia quirked an eyebrow at him. “Other than the fact that I’ve been a werewolf since I was 15, never say that type of thing to a woman.”

Jace managed to snort before the next wave of pain hit him and he contorted, rattling the chains. 

“Not yet,” Maia said, “fight it Jace. Stay with me.”

She gripped his chin and tipped his head up to be even with her own. “Look at me Jace. You have to stay you as long as possible. The sooner you give in to it, the harder it will be to come back.”

Jace’s eyes opened and she could see the gold rimming them as he stared at her. 

“Focus on me, Jace.” Maia coached him. “Talk to me. Tell me anything, ask me anything.”

Jace took in a deep breath, trying to focus his breathing. “Why are you always alone?”

Maia blinked at him. “What?”

Jace asked again, “Why are you always alone? Why do you do everything on your own? Aren’t you supposed to be a pack animal? You live here alone, you go through this every month alone…”

“Maybe I like it that way.” Maia said defensively. 

“Bullshit.” Jace spat, the word punctuated by a shudder through his body. “No one actually likes to be alone 100% of the time. You came here tonight because you always wish someone would be here for you.” 

Maia looked away from him. 

“So, why?” He asked. Another wave of pain lashed through him, lasting longer this time. 

She looked at him for a long while before she opened her mouth. “Because I can’t trust anyone.” 

Jace shook his head. “What does that mean?”

Maia stepped away as his tremors became more violent, backing to the bottom stair. 

She wasn’t even sure he could still hear her but she said it anyway. 

“It means that I’m afraid. That I’m afraid of being alone, but so much more afraid of what it costs me to allow someone close enough to not be.” 

There was a cry of pain as the skin across Jace’s back split and the change began to take over him. 

Maia took the stairs two at a time, leaving the basement and shutting the door behind her, trying to ignore the sounds of pain below. 

She sat in her tiny kitchen with her back to the door of the basement, a tear leaking from her eyes. She wasn't sure why she’d confessed that to him, but it was true. Her whole life people had let her down and now, now she just didn’t want to give anyone that power over her. It was so much easier to deal with the loneliness than it was to deal with the crushing agony when someone left you. 

Maia strode across the room to the window. She stared out at the full moon high above. It had been a long time since she’d recalled seeing the moon. She’d easily slipped out tonight to be at the apartment. While plenty of people apparently knew Jace at the Institute, it didn’t seem like any of them had more to say than a passing hello. She’d realized it slowly as she went through Jace’s daily routine, but he also kept to himself. He had Alec and Izzy and Clary of course, and she’d seen the slew of one night stands he’d hooked up with in the bar. Hell, she’d been one of them! But it felt eerily similar to her own life. How she was there and always a part of things but never quite the forefront of attention; a part of the group but still always the odd man out. Even with them switched it had seemed that way, with Magnus and Alec being so wrapped up helping each other and Simon and Meliorn together all the time. 

A howl split the air and she sighed as she went to the bathroom and fetched all the first aid supplies. She had a “post full moon” kit that she kept all she needed in. Basic first aid for cuts and scrapes, needle and thread for any necessary stitches, heavy duty pain killers for the after effects, and some various salves and muscle relief components. 

She set the kit on the counter and opened the fridge. The other thing to prepare for was the ravenous hunger after changing and not hunting. She pulled a couple steaks from the icebox and lay them on the counter to defrost, humming to herself as she prepared things. 

Jace felt like he was on fire. His nerve ends were screaming in pain as they re-routed themselves. His back split open and he felt to his hands and knees as they became paws. 

His nails grew from his nail beds, scratching harshly against the stone. The chains attached at each ankle and wrist keeping him prisoner. He snapped and bit and clawed at the chains holding him, managing mostly only to cut into his own skin. 

He yowled his discomfort pulling and tugging and thrashing against the binding. And then a soft scent hit his nose, like fresh soft rain mixed with a hint of hard liquor. It was refreshing and warm. And then he could hear the humming. The soft tune lulling him out of the ravenous rage his mind had conjured and helping him relax. He curled slowly around on the mattress and listened to the humming upstairs, content for some reason to just bask there in it.


	8. Resolutions

Chapter 8- Resolutions

She’d spent all night fretting and worrying over what would come today. At dawn, the Seelie Queen had arrived and beckoned Isabelle away, two armed guards escorting Clary in the opposite direction. 

And now here she was, vined to a tree. The Seelie Queen stood before her in that unassuming little girl’s body. She smiled at Clary as she walked around her in a circle. 

“Little Daylighter,” she crooned, reaching out to touch a part of Clary’s skin that was in the direct path of the sun, “you have no idea your worth do you?” 

Clary didn’t respond. “No need for sleep,” the Queen continued, “No need for water. No need even, for air.” 

The Queen made a gesture with her hand and Clary felt the air in her lungs sucked away. Her body reacted with panic at first, natural reactions kicking in and trying desperately to draw breath. 

The Seelie Queen laughed at her gasping panic. It took a few minutes before her body realized that what it thought it desperately needed wasn’t so vital. She was undead now. She didn’t need to breathe. 

“Air,” the Queen continued a slight breeze ruffling past her to brush over Clary. “So innocuous. So forgotten and overlooked. Invisible yet vital. Rarely does anyone remember the overwhelming force that it can be.” 

The breeze turned furious, a small tornado forming in the meadow they stood in, ripping small plants from the ground and lifting sticks and branches into it’s cradle only to hurl them outward with unnatural force. A pointed branch launched itself at Clary and she squeezed her eyes closed as the thing impaled itself into her shoulder. 

The tornado died down instantly and the Queen smiled her wicked smile again as she approached Clary and ripped the branch back out. Clary felt every inch of the staked wood leaving her body, but before the wound could bleed much, it began to knit itself closed. 

“Such wonderful healing abilities.” The Queen mused, running her hand over Clary’s now closed wound, skin smooth like marble. “Much better than your average vampire.” 

She’d never thought of that. Clary supposed it made sense that the Daylighter’s abilities for healing were more advanced than most, considering the protection from the sun. Was she here to satisfy a curiosity of the Queen on just how far her healing abilities would go? She closed her eyes as the terror of that idea sunk into her chest.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the Queen tutted, gripping Clary’s chin, “you’ll want to keep your eyes open for this.” 

She turned and called over her should, “Isabelle. Come here.” The words were sharp and obvious commands and Isabelle walked into the meadow. 

Clary’s mouth fell open slightly. Izzy was no longer dressed in the armor of the Fae Knights, but in the gossamer shimmering fabrics of the handmaidens. Clary’s eyes started at the dark blue stiletto heels at her feet and followed the twining ribbons up her calves and knees to the bottoms of her thighs. A matching dark blue triangle flap covered her intimate parts, blue delphinium flowers hanging from her waist to decorate the plain piece of fabric. Her middle was bare matching scrap of blue fabric covering her breasts. Her dark hair was half pulled up away from her face, showing off the delicate points of her ears with more of the bright blue flowers adoring her midnight tresses. The indented mark across her cheek had been colored with a matching dark blue hue. 

Staring at her, Clary could feel her throat go dry and a thirst that had nothing to do with a desire for blood run through her. 

Izzy stopped next to the Queen, who played lightly with a curl of her hair and smirked at Clary knowingly. “Fickle little Daylighter,” she sighed. 

“Less than a month ago you were here filled with despair that the one desired most by your beloved little Shadowhunter was not you but another. Soon after that you are trading away your freedom for another.”

The Queen approached her, her voice dropping low and vicious. “And yet, here you are coveting what is mine. Yet another that is not your kind. But I suppose, you are doomed to do so when there is no other like you.” 

Clary grit her teeth. “She doesn’t belong to you!” She spat at the Queen. 

The Queen laughed out loud at that. “Oh, but she does. Isabelle is mine to command.” As if to demonstrate the Queen turned to Isabelle. 

“Isabelle, slash her. I want you to test her healing capabilities to the brink.” 

Izzy’s eyes went wide and almost mechanically she reached to her waist, unsheathing a dagger. WIth jerky hesitant steps she ventured forward, the blade in her hand, a look of horror on her face as she approached. 

“Clary,” she whispered shaking her head, “I… I can’t stop it… I’m.. .I’m sorry.”

Clary shook her head, refusing to look away from Isabelle’s eyes. “It’s fine Izzy. It isn’t you. It’s her.” 

And the first strike fell upon her skin. 

Clary cried out in pain and Isabelle’s anguished cries mixed with her own as slice after slice ran across her skin. Shallow and deep, major and minor locations, she was tested. 

Isabelle was breathing hard, still trying to resist the compulsion to follow the direct order of the Queen, when the Queen finally called out. “Stop.”

Isabelle collapsed to the ground, weeping as a chorus of ‘sorry’ fell from her lips. 

The Queen approached an eyebrow raised. “Well, well, well.”

“Such an interesting turn of events. Here I thought I would be testing the Daylighter and I find a weakness within my own Knight.”

She knelt down and put a finger under Isabelle’s chin. “You are mine to use, Isabelle. You swore yourself to me because you had no one else. You are mine.” The Queen punctuated the last bit with a brutal kiss, gripping Izzy’s chin hard as she crashed their lips together. 

“Do not forget who owns you,” she said viciously as she drew back, “consider this your punishment for allowing yourself to have affection for anyone other than me.” 

She stood and looked coldly down at Izzy. Clary struggling against the vines nearby and snapping curses at her. 

The Queen turned to the Daylighter. “Now, little Daylighter. If you wish to leave my realm. I will release you, all you must do is accept a gift from me.” 

“What gift?” Clary asked.

“Now, now, one mustn’t tell what the gift is or it would ruin the surprise.” 

Clary’s mind whirled. Izzy’s words from the night before coming back to her. The Queen played a long game. She manipulated people into thinking they only had one choice. She was trying to make it seem like if Clary wanted to leave she had to accept this gift, but there were always two choices. One just wasn’t very appealing. 

“I refuse,” Clary countered. 

The Queen’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. “You are turning down a gift from a Queen and the offer of your freedom?” 

Clary nodded. “I want nothing from you.” 

The Queen paced around the tree. “Then you will stay bound here until you starve to death.” Her eyes flicked to Isabelle still sitting on the ground. “And to be tortured by my Knight until then.” 

No! Clary could withstand it. She’d stay here as long as it took, die if she had to in order to keep the Queen from whatever end game she was pursuing, but Isabelle? She couldn’t force this on Izzy. She wouldn’t let Izzy pay a price for her decision. 

“I will accept your gift,” Clary declared and the Queen grinned, “under one condition.” 

Her smile vanished. 

Clary continued. “I will accept your gift, if you swear to release me from your realm immediately and you must release Isabelle from your service forever.”

The Queen’s eyes darted to Izzy, no doubt calculating the cost of giving up her Knight in favor for whatever scheme she had. She smiled. “Done.” 

Isabelle felt a shattering inside her. A snap of a rope and a release of tension that had her reeling to try and orient herself again. 

As she managed to come back to herself, she looked up to see the Queen hovering near Clary, a long staff in one hand, the flat end of it like a brand searing into Clary’s forehead. 

A white hot rune glowed there and the Queen’s eyes flashed with triumph. 

The vines fell away and Clary dropped to the ground, Isabelle rushing forward to her immediately. 

“It is done.” The Queen announced. “You are both free to leave my Realm.”

She knelt down and looked at Clary with a wicked smile. “But you will be back. Because before long, there will be no else. You will come to me because you have no one else left. Good-bye little wandering Daylighter.” 

She turned and strode away. 

Izzy was brushing Clary’s hair back out of her face. “Clary, Clary? Are you all right?”

Clary opened her mouth, her fangs lengthening. The torture had emptied her. All of the healing depriving her of any energy and all she could feel was the thirst. Her eyes locked onto the wrist close to her face and Isabelle noticed immediately. 

She froze. She took a deep breath and then pressed her wrist to Clary’s mouth. “You need to drink.” She said simply.

Clary shoved at her arm, the last shreds of her self-control fraying with the effort. “Not from you.” She said firmly. 

Isabelle stood up, supporting Clary with her. “We have to get out of here before she changes her mind.” As before, Izzy parted the veil of the Seelie realm and the girls walked forward together back into New York City and towards the loft of the High Warlock of Brooklyn. 

~~~

Alec arrived quickly back at the loft. Catarina was in the living room, Anaris asleep with their head in her lap. 

Catarina was instantly alert. “What is it?” 

Alec looked at her. “I need your help. I need you to teach me to summon a demon.” 

“What?” Catarina stage whispered. “You successfully open a couple portals and now you think you’re ready for the big leagues?” 

Alec flicked a glance to Anaris to ensure they were still asleep. “The Shadowhunter. The one that Anaris… encountered last night. He’s dead.” 

Cat frowned. “They don’t know that it was a warlock that did it,” Alec continued quickly, “the group was young and inexperienced. They think it was a demon. They’re out for blood and vengeance. If we can summon a spear-tailed demon and let it loose in the area, the Shadowhunters will track it down, blame it for the death of their kin, send it back to Edom and Anaris will be safe.”

“You’re starting to sound a lot more like the Alec Bane I know.” Cat said solemnly. “Full of outlandish schemes that are going to get one or more people killed.”

“Cat, please,” Alec said, “it’s the only way that I can protect Anaris.”

Cat sighed. “Alright, but ironically enough, I’m not the one that can help you with that. You’re the summoner. I’m a healer, remember? Anaris’s magic is like yours though. Perhaps they could help.”

Anaris opened one eye. “I could do that.” They said. 

Cat smiled down at them. “You’ve not been asleep since Alec returned home, have you?”

Anaris grinned. “Gotta be a light sleeper if you live on the streets.” 

Alec shook his head. “Fine. Anaris, you can help. But we have to do this quickly. The Shadowhunters are gathering a party as we speak if we don’t set the demon loose in the area soon, they’ll be suspicious.” 

Anaris popped up. “We’re gonna need some supplies.”

Alec nodded. “What do we need?” 

Anaris shuffled around the apartment asking for ingredients, tail swishing in concentration as they worked. They tossed everything into a basket and Alec portaled them to the rooftop a few blocks from where the original incident took place. 

“Alright,” Anaris instructed, “I don’t have enough power to summon this kind of thing, but you do. I’ll set up the structure and you’ll do the actual summons.” 

Alec glanced at Cat. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked. “Whatever mischief this demon gets up to in the meantime will be on your hands.” 

Alec took a deep breath, watching Anaris chalk out the lines and place the ingredients as needed. He was sure. As Head of the Institute he was always making decisions about the Shadowhunters and what was right for them, but right now it felt different. Being a Shadowhunter was seen as an honor. There was place for you, training, a family. But Anaris? Anaris hadn’t had any of that. They hadn’t asked to be born with a tail and warlock powers. They hadn’t been given training and structure to show them how to use their abilities. They were thrust into the world to fend for themselves. As Head of the Institute, Alec was a leader, but as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he was a protector. And regardless of the role, he would put his all into it. He would protect this child with everything he had. 

He nodded to Catarina. “Yes. I’m sure. I will do whatever it takes to protect Anaris.” 

Anaris smiled at him, stepping back from the drawing and the strategically placed crystals and roots. 

“Alright,” they said, “it’s ready. Now you just have to call it. This demon is called the Sasori. You must stand in the web here,” they gestured to a specific spot, “and beseech it. Uh, you know, like call out to it with your mind? You can do it out loud too, if that helps.”

Alec nodded. “Anything else I need to know?” 

“It will appear in the web. When it tries to attack you, you have to run and break the chalk outlines.” Anaris instructed. “You have to make sure the thing thinks it escaped you or it will be suspicious as to why we let it go.”

Alec nodded. “Got it. Sasori. Let’s do this.” 

Alec stepped into the delicate web of shapes and symbols Anaris had painstakingly drawn on the rooftop. He closed his eyes and did the deep breathing that Magnus had taught him. He could hear everything. The city was alive. He could feel the threads of life weaving in and out of one another, connecting and crossing and weaving the world together into reality. The fire in his veins roared. He opened his mouth and called out the Sasori.

A black inky hole spread across the design, starting at the edges and leaking across like oil, blotting out the white chalk shapes and squiggles. The darkness reached the straight line in front of Alec’s feet and halted. The darkness shuddered a bit and Alec could hear a scurrying of legs before the creature clawed its way up out of the oily darkness. 

It was half human, the torso and arms and head of a man, but from the hips down it was all monster. Perched on six legs and a scaly red body it scuttled forward towards Alec. It got to the straight line and leaned towards him. 

Alec stood still, shaking a bit to try and show fear. “Sa...Sasori,” he said, “I command you.” 

The demon grinned at him. “You command no one.” It sneered and the long curved tail with the barb on the end, darted forward toward Alec. 

He dove away from the strike, sliding across the chalk, making sure to smear it and to clear the entire circle. The tail struck an invisible barrier, flashing blue and cracking at the impact like a shattered mirror. 

“Fool!” The demon bellowed. “I will leave you alive as thanks for bringing me to this realm and granting me freedom.” 

And the thing jumped from the rooftop, scuttling into the alley below. 

Alec stood up and sighed. “Now we just have to be sure we kill it before it can hurt anyone.” 

Cat nodded. 

Alec looked to the West, noticing the line of Shadowhunters headed his way. He turned to Cat, “Take Anaris to your place to keep them safe. I’m going to join the Shadowhunters and be sure we track down that thing.” 

Cat nodded, taking Anaris’ hand. 

Anaris paused shaking off Cat’s hand and walking up to Alec to look up, up, up into his face.

Alec knelt down to be eye level with the child. 

Thank you,” they said seriously, Everyone always says that Alec Bane is the protector of the warlocks, but I mean, I didn’t think you’d bother yourself for someone like me.” 

Alec reached out and patted the child’s head. “You are extraordinary, Anaris.” He told the child. “And I am here to protect anyone and everyone who cannot protect themselves. Sometimes even us important people need some help. The design you drew tonight for this summoning was amazing. You even put up a defense barrier to make sure I didn’t get hurt.” 

Anaris smiled a little at the praise. 

“You will always have a friend in me Anaris.” 

Anaris reached forward and hugged Alec quickly. “Thank you.” They said again before running back to Cat and taking her hand. 

“Good hunting.” Cat said before she opened a portal and left.

Alec sighed and made his way down to the street level to intercept the Shadowhunters. 

Magnus saw him first and gave him a small tilt of the head in question. Alec nodded. 

Alec stayed back as the Shadowhunters followed typical protocol and procedure in tracking the demon. It didn’t take long at all before one of them recognized tracks of the demon and they were in pursuit. 

Alec was just starting to think this plan was going to work perfectly when he heard the scream. High and shrill, the sound echoed down the the alleyways and everyone turned to the right and charged after it. 

There trapped at a dead end, stood a middle aged woman, a child tucked in fear behind her and the demon closing in on them. 

Alec’s blood went cold. He froze, horror written all over him as he seemed unable to move. This was his fault. He’d brought this thing out here and now these people were going to pay the price. 

He stared as the demon’s tail arched up, hurtling toward the woman. It was stopped by a seraph blade, Magnus gritting his teeth as he pressed against the thing. The woman stared in astonishment at what she had to be seeing as the tail simply stopping in midair, unable to reach her. 

She immediately dropped to her knees, crossing herself, a rosary in her hand and prayers falling from her lips at the clearly holy intervention. 

And holy it was. As the half angels swarmed in and overtook the thing, slicing it into submission. 

They backed it further from the woman who ran at the first chance she got, clutching the young child to her. 

Alec only breathed a sigh of relief when she was out of the alley and across the street. 

He looked on as the Shadowhunters fought. Magnus taunting the thing with banter. And then his seraph blade went straight into the thing’s chest and it exploded into ash, banished back to where it had come.

Magnus walked over to Alec, black ichor all over him. He grinned at Alec, “I can see why you like this.” He said. “It’s kind of nice to feel the shock of the blow through your arms. Maybe when this is all over, you and I can train a bit more in hand to hand.” 

 

Alec smiled back. “Definitely.” He took Magnus’s hand. “Now, I believe you promised you’d stay at my place tonight.”

Magnus glanced back at the group. “But, the mission debrief, we have to write the reports…”

Alec chuckled at him, “Do you even hear yourself?” He asked. “You’re the leader. Tell them to do it.” 

Magnus laughed as well realizing how the tables had turned and looked over his shoulder. “You think you lot can handle a full report on my desk by tomorrow morning.” 

A chorus of ‘Yes, sir’ went up and Magnus nodded his approval. “Good. Then I’m going home.”

Alec smiled as they walked to the loft. “Anaris is a pretty cute kid.” Alec mused. “Do you think ours will have adorable tails or cat eyes?”

Magnus wrapped an arm around Alec’s waist. “Oh most certainly,” he said. “I expect at least two Warlocks and a Shadowhunter.”

Alec smiled at him. “That sounds nice.” 

They headed down the hallway to the loft and Alec started with surprise. Izzy and Clary were just outside the door. Isabelle supporting Clary and wearing little to nothing. 

Alec darted forward quickly. “What happened?” he asked. 

Izzy handed Clary over to him, “She needs blood.”

Magnus opened the door to the loft and gestured everyone inside. “There’s a mini fridge of it next to the bar.” 

Alec quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“What?” Magnus asked innocently, “Raphael likes to visit and it’s rude not to have drinks available for guests.”

Magnus went to the supply, pulling out a couple bags and handing them to Alec. “You need to heat them up.” 

Alec stared at him. 

“With the flames,” Magnus said, “warm the bags to human temperature.” 

“Can’t we just use the microwave?” Alec asked. 

Magnus rolled his eyes at him. “It’s easy Alec. Just close your eyes and feel the temperature inside you then transfer that to the bag.” 

Alec sighed and closed his eyes a soft warmth building in his palms. Magnus watched nodding appreciatively. The heat began building and the bags warmed in his hand, Magnus reached forward and snatched them out of his grip before his hands went up in flames. 

Alec looked sheepish, but Magnus smiled. “Perfect!” 

He tossed the largest bag to Isabelle who pulled the plastic tube out and placed it in Clary’s mouth. “You need to drink.” She urged. 

Clary tried to turn her head away. “I won’t drink from you.” She insisted. 

“It isn’t me,” Izzy insisted pressing the tube back to her mouth, “we’re with Magnus and Alec. They have bagged blood for you.” 

Clary blinked, her tongue sliding over the plastic poised near her mouth and she closed down on it, gulping down the liquid. 

“Thank you.” Isabelle said sincerely to Magnus.

Magnus stared at Clary for a while. “What happened?”

Izzy opened her mouth to reply but shook her head. “It’s a long story, but we’re out of the Seelie Queen’s realm. Any leads on how to reverse this whole thing?”

“We, uh, we’ve been kind of busy.” Magnus replied. 

Alec agreed, but then spoke. “But Cat said that Ragnor was an expert. That he probably kept a journal on the subject and his research.”

Magnus nodded. “Of course! I knew I’d been talked to death about that subject by someone! I have most of his old notes in storage, we can go look for them tonight.”

Alec nodded. “Where to?” He asked, his hands poised to create a portal. 

“Can… can we stay here?” Isabelle asked, looking to Clary who had fallen asleep on the couch. 

“Of course,” Alec said, “we’ll go get the answers and be right back. I’ll send a message to the others as well for all of us to meet here.”

The portal opened and Magnus and Alec stepped through. Answers had to be found. Things had to be set right. With Magnus’s assistance, Alec sent a fire message to Simon and Meliorn telling them to gather everyone at the loft.

Isabelle stared at the sleeping Clary on the couch before her and resolved that the moment she woke up, she was going to confess how she felt.


	9. Return to Semi-Normal

Chapter 9- Return to Semi-Normal

Simon and Meliorn got the fire message that night requesting they all meet at the loft in the morning. 

Simon turned to Meliorn. “So I guess they’ve found a way to fix this.”

Meliorn nodded. “I hope so. I really don’t want to be meeting any suitors for my hand in marriage.” 

Simon laughed. “Oh come on!” He joked, “Don’t you want to settle down sometime?”

“I don’t think I’m capable of it.” Meliorn replied. 

“Marriage?” Simon asked. 

“Trust,” Meliorn supplied, “physical dalliances I can handle, but a relationship? A binding of oneself to another. That takes a trust I fear I do not have.” 

“But you’re bound to your Queen, right?” Simon pointed out. “You don’t trust her?”

Meliorn snorted. “To trust the Seelie Queen would be to invite disaster.”

Simon frowned. “So you don’t trust anyone? That, that sounds kind of lonely.”

Meliorn looked at him. “Perhaps, but it is safe.”

Simon shook his head at him, “How can you live for so many years without trusting someone. Are you that scared? That hurt?”

Meliorn didn’t answer him. 

Simon stood up resolutely, crossing the room and placing his hand on Meliorn’s shoulder. “Well, regardless of if you believe it or not,” he said seriously, “you can trust me.” 

Meliorn’s eyes met his. “Simon.” He said softly. 

Simon didn’t remove his hand. “I might still be young, but I’m going to live forever, so looks like you’re stuck with me.” A small smile tugged at his lips. 

Meliorn smiled back. “You are truly amazing little Daylighter. Like you bring the sun wherever you go.”

Meliorn stood and ran a hand down the side of Simon’s face. “I think, if there were more time, I could learn to trust you.” He whispered. 

“Well,” Simon said swallowing hard, “we have tonight.”

“Indeed.” Meliorn agreed.

~~~

Jace woke up, naked but with a blanket draped over him and his shackles undone. He could smell something delicious in the apartment above, and knew instinctively that it was just past noon. He stood, wrapping the blanket around his waist and wandering up the stairs to the kitchen. 

Maia was still there. A pile of steaks on the counter, still leaking blood, and a heap of mashed potatoes in a pot next to them. She was drinking coffee in a chair and reading one of the Marine Biology texts. 

She looked up as he came in. “How do you feel?” She asked, standing but not coming any closer. 

Jace closed his eyes, assessing. “Like I got hit by a train.” 

Maia snorted. “Yeah that seems accurate.” She went to the kitchen, every movement she made slow and deliberate like she was trying not to startle him. She looked over his bare chest and nodded. “Doesn’t look like you have any cuts.” She reached for his free hand and turned his wrist over to examine it. “Mmm,” she mused, “but definitely shackle burn. She flipped open a box on the counter and rummaged around for some salve, placing it on his wrist. 

Jace stared at her, her curls just under his nose, filling his nostrils with the scent of her; fresh water like rain and the stout burn of hard liquor. 

“I’m sorry.” He said suddenly.

Maia looked up at him in confusion. “You’re sorry? For what?”

“For the alleyway. For not calling. For just pretending it didn’t happen.” He confessed. 

Maia took a step back. “I was just joking last night,” she said a flush creeping onto her face, “I don’t need you to define anything. It didn’t have to mean anything.”

“But it did.” Jace said. 

Maia shook her head. “Jace, stop. You’re not thinking straight.” She backed up a step. “This whole transformation and shift has you confused. You’re with Clary, right?” 

Jace shook his head. “I don’t know what I am with Clary. I owe her my life. I owe her being here, but it isn’t the same. I... I think the angel in me is pulled to Clary, but me? The part of me that is just me, it’s pulled to you.”

Maia took another step back, “Jace, you’re being ridiculous.”

Jace shook his head. “No, I’m not. Of all the people that were given trackers, why do you think I came to remove yours personally? Why do you think I go pick up girls at the Hunter’s Moon? Why do you think I’m always the one showing up at the Jade Wolf? Because I care what you think about me. The Angel only knows why, but your opinion matters.”

Maia stared at him. “Jace,” she shook her head, “we aren’t. We can’t. It isn’t…” 

Jace let go of the blanket and stalked forward, “I’m hearing a lot of half hearted comments but no real reasons.” He leaned forward, placing a soft nip at the junction of her shoulder. “There’s something you need to know.” He told her, pulling back and looking straight in her eyes. 

“That day on the lake in Alicante. I died.” 

Maia stared at him. 

“Valentine killed me. Stabbed me and I died. Clary summoned the Angel and brought me back. And part of me, part of me felt like I owed her for that, but this change… The full moon, it taught me something. It taught me that no matter how much I try to cage things up inside, how I try to change things, they are still there inside me. If I look for it, everything is there. And, Clary, she’s great and I owe her a lot for this second chance, but what good is a second chance if you keep living the way you were before? I can’t bottle any of it up anymore. I can’t hide it and pretend and put on that cocky mask of indifference. I’m done with that.”

Maia took in a breath, unsure of how to process all this information. 

“You, you died?” she asked. 

Jace nodded. The comment filled her with a dread and hurt that she wasn’t prepared for. Her hand reached up to his face. “I lost you and I didn’t even know it.” 

Jace turned his face to kiss her palm. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

Maia nodded, leaning into him and sealing their mouths together.

~~~

Simon smiled goofily at Meliorn as they walked to Maia’s apartment to retrieve Jace. He had tried searching for Maia everywhere at the Institute but no one had seen her. He was hoping that Jace would know where to find her so they could all meet at the loft. 

Meliorn rolled his eyes at him. “You’re ridiculously giddy.” He said with a small smirk.

“Shouldn’t I be?” Simon countered. He pushed Meliorn with his shoulder. “Come on,” he teased, “you know you’re happy too. It wouldn’t kill you to enjoy yourself.”

Meliorn smirked at him. “Oh I enjoyed myself plenty last night.” 

Simon flushed hard as he rang the doorbell. 

His flush deepened as Jace opened the door, naked. He held up his hand to block his view and turned his head away. 

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Simon said. 

Meliorn nonchalantly entered the apartment. 

“We, uh,” Simon edged in trying to keep his eyes averted. 

Jace grinning wolfishly the whole time. “We came to get you. We’re all supposed to meet at the loft.”

“Who is it?” Maia asked coming to the bedroom doorway, hair disheveled wearing only a tee-shirt and panties. 

“Well, I guess that explains where Maia is.” Meliorn said with a smile. 

“Oh for heaven’s sake!” Simon said covering his eyes again. 

Jace smiled some more. “You’ve no room to talk Romeo,” he said to Simon slapping his hand on Simon’s shoulder. He took a deep breath. “I can smell you two all over each other.” 

Maia’s eyes went wide and a grin spread across her face. 

Simon jerked out of Jace’s grip, “Yeah, well at least we’re dressed and decent in front of company. Now come on. We need to go to the loft. I think Alec and Magnus have figured out how to fix all this.”

Jace disappeared into the bedroom. “Are Clary and Izzy there?” He called. 

Simon looked at Meliorn. 

“I don’t know,” he said sadly, “I hope so, but they might still be in the Seelie realm.”

Jace and Maia emerged moments later dressed and ready to head out. “Shall we?”

~~~

Magnus finally found the book they were looking for. He and Alec had been searching all night and dawn had spread across the room before he found it, but here it was. An entire tome on Ragnor’s research on the Balancing. 

He was reading over it, Alec scanning over his shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Alec said reaching over and flipping several pages. “We know what it does. How do we reverse it?”

Magnus stopped him. “No, no, go back. If I can understand how we activated it, I might be able to figure out how to reverse it.”

Magnus moved back to the beginning of the research. “This is it!” He said turning around to face Alec.

He read aloud from the tome. “The Balancing, at its core, is a base elemental magic that interacts with the base elementals in the blood of the participants. There must be representatives of each of the 5 elements in the proper placement for the ritual to work. Using the ancient gridwork at the ley line cross site, the ritual will switch the elemental components present in the blood of the gathered, thereby enabling them to experience the blood being of another. Such a fundamental switch must be done on a convergence of ley lines in order to web the changes across the world, rewriting the memories of all those not in place, thus retaining the fabric of reality. The only known location capable of such a feat was lost to the ocean on the coast of…”

He stopped and looked up at Alec. “This is how it happened.” Magnus began pacing. “The discs must have been conduit pieces for the elements. We activated them with the elements necessary and then the switch channeled the elements from my blood to yours.”

Magnus flipped to the back of the book a set of charts and sketches appearing. “Of course!” He said. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen this.” He tapped a chart. 

“It used to be believed that each of the Downworld species came from a specific element. It was part of how we gained our abilities, by borrowing power from the elemental power. The strongest of which is fire, harnessed by the Warlocks and pounding through our blood.”

Alec nodded. “I did feel like there was fire in my blood.” 

Magnus nodded. “Yes and vampires, they are earth. Which is why they are buried in order to rise again. The Fae are air and werewolves water.”

Alec nodded. “Ok so what are Shadowhunters?” 

“Spirit,” Magnus replied, “the Angelic component in your blood. It’s representative of Spirit.”

Alec nodded again. “Ok great. So we get the basics of how this happened. Can we fix it?”

Magnus’s eyes shone with triumph. “Yes. We just have to reverse how we enacted it in the first place. We have to go back to the coast.”

“And everything will go back to normal?” Alec questioned. 

Magnus scanned a few more passages. “I… I don’t know. It’s hard to tell exactly what effect having the different elemental components in our blood will have. We should be at least mostly back to normal, but it’s like trying to unmix a cocktail, even if we strain it and put everything back in the original containers, it’s likely that some trace amounts will be left behind.”

“Well we have to try.” Alec said. 

Magnus agreed. 

“Come on, let’s go get everyone and head back to the coast.” 

~~~


	10. Back To the Coast

Chapter 10- Back to the Coast

The trip back to the coast seemed like a surreal journey. It has only been a few days since they were here last, but it seemed like a lifetime. 

Almost everything was different. Simon and Meliorn walked in companionable closeness, chatting and joking the whole way. Clary and Isabelle lingering in the back of the group, talking in hushed voices. 

Jace boldly had an arm around Maia, a grin on his face and a blush against hers. 

Clearly once all of this was resolved, there’d be a lot to talk about for everyone. 

Magnus and Alec led the group back to the cavern where everything started. 

They fell silent as they re-entered the room with the statues and the discs. Magnus had explained the elemental connection to everyone and confirmed that they had unintentionally activated each element. Maia with her bottle of water, Meliorn with his blowing of dust, Magnus himself with his flames, and Simon with his kick of dirt at the closed door that was barring them from exit. 

“Seriously?” Simon had asked. “We got changed out of pure coincidence.” 

“You could see it that way.” Magnus said. 

Meliorn shook his head. “There is no such thing as coincidence. We were meant to make this change. I for one am a firm believer that it was fate.”

They all filed into the room. Everyone staring at the statues and the discs in silence. 

“Ok,” Magnus said clapping his hands together, “before we get this show on the road, does anyone have anything they need to say?”

Clary stepped forward, going to Meliorn. “Meliorn, there’s something you need to know.”

Meliorn looked from her to Isabelle. “What?”

“Well,” Clary said softly. 

Izzy stepped up beside her and rubbed her shoulder, taking over. “We struck a bargain with the Seelie Queen in exchange for our leave.” 

Meliorn’s eyes went wide. “You did what? What did you promise her?”

Isabelle held up a placating hand. “Don’t worry, we already fulfilled the bargain, the important thing is that in addition to us being set free from her realm, she... she set you free as well.”

 

“She what?” Meliorn asked bewildered. 

“She released you from your service as a Seelie Knight.” Clary replied.

“There’s something else you need to know,” Izzy said stepping towards him. “While we were there, we discovered that the Seelie Queen has a power over air. She confessed to Clary that she killed your mother in order to bring you into her service.”

Meliorn’s eyes went wide. “She... she?” He stopped for a minute taking a deep breath. “Of course she did,” he said with venom, “I should have seen it before. I was so young then that it never occured to me how she might have manipulated me into her service. She’s done it to everyone else…” 

Simon placed his hand on Meliorn’s arm. “But you’re free now?” He looked to Izzy. 

“Yes. You are no longer bound to the Seelie Queen’s service. I felt the bond shatter.”

Simon looked to Clary. “And what did she do to you? What price did you have to pay for this and the bargain I already made.” 

Clary looked to Izzy. “We aren’t really sure. The Queen insisted I accept a gift from her. She marked me with something.”

“She branded her with something and then she called her a little “wandering” Daylighter.” Izzy said. 

Meliorn looked appalled. “You.. you survived it?” He asked in awe.

He reached up to Clary’s forehead as if he could see the mark there. 

“Yes…” Clary said hesitantly, “what is it?”

“The mark of the wanderer,” Meliorn explained. “The Seelie Queen has been trying for centuries to find one that would be able to withstand it’s curse in order to reap its rewards.” 

Magnus stared at Clary. “The Mark of Cain?” He asked and Meliorn nodded. 

“What does that mean?” Clary asked. 

Magnus looked at her in contemplation. “Of course. The Daylighter. The Mark of Cain infuses the bearer with a scorching white light. Vampires usually have the highest of the healing abilities, but their weakness to the sun means they are unable to withstand the mark. It’s a mark and a curse. It is the mark of the wanderer because it is a protection. Any harm that tries to befall the bearer will be rebounded sevenfold. It is an immortality rune of sorts, but also a curse for it is usually placed on those with mortal life spans forcing them to endure the deaths of everyone they know until there is no one left.”

“So what will happen when we switch back?” Clary asked looking to Simon. “It will be on Simon then right? Because he’s the Daylighter?”

Magnus shook his head. “I.. I don’t know. I don’t know how the magic works. But, I don’t think it can transfer. The magic was bound to your body and soul Clary, the only reason it doesn’t kill you is because you currently have the earthly protection of the Daylighter blood.”

“So when we switch back, it’ll kill me.” 

Magnus shook his head. “Maybe not. If enough of the Daylighter elemental stays in your blood, it should allow you to bear the mark. But I don’t know.”

Clary looked around at all of them. “It’s a chance we have to take. I can’t just let everyone stay this way for me.” 

Magnus looked to Simon. “I can try to put less of a filter on your connection to make sure that you both retain more of the switch.” He said. 

“Do it.” Simon insisted. 

“But I don’t know what that will do to your abilities. If it will allow you both to switch back completely.” 

Simon and Clary stared at each other. “It’s fine,” Simon said, “we’ll figure it out.” 

“All right,” Magnus agreed. “Any other big news?”

He looked to Maia and Jace. 

“Uh, well, I think maybe I should confess that I died.” 

Clary whirled at him. “Jace!”

He held up his hand, “No, Clary. The time for secrets is over.” Jace turned to Alec. 

“You were right. I died at the lake in Alicante. Clary used the wish to bring be back.” Alec stared at him. “That’s why the Parabatai rune disappeared.”

Magnus lifted his shirt to look at his own hip. “It’s still there now.” 

 

Alec nodded. “It only went away for a few minutes and then it came back. I thought maybe you’d been resuscitated not raised by the Angel.”

Magnus walked forward to Jace. “Good thing you told me about this. We can’t just go pulling all your blood out and repositioning it without you being warded! Downworlders can’t be possessed, and Shadowhunters go through protection and cleansing rituals when they are born. If you truly died, turning you back without the protection and cleansing could open you up to possession of the worst kind.”

Magnus sighed. “Ok, seriously, anything else or are we all out of secret reveals for the evening?” 

“One more thing,” Alec said stepping up to Magnus. 

“This whole ordeal has taught me one very important thing. I don’t appreciate you enough and I want to have you in my life forever. Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn will you marry me?”

Magnus shook his head at Alec. “Alec, we can’t... “

“Who says?”

Magnus stared at his lover in awe. “You want to marry me? After everything you’ve learned about me?”

Alec nodded. “I want to marry you and I want those little Warlock and Shadowhunter children and nothing is going to change my mind.”

Magnus smiled at him. “Then yes. Yes, of course.” 

The group clapped politely as they kissed and Magnus stepped back. 

“Alright kids,” he said seriously, “Let’s throw this thing in reverse.” 

Magnus dispatched Alec to handle the purification rituals and protection wards on Jace, and set about placing the elemental offering at each disc. 

He walked to where Simon stood at the lever and smiled. “Go ahead and pull it,” Magnus said. 

Simon grinned at him and pulled the level dropping down the door, sealing them inside and displaying the green disc. He directed Simon to stand in front of the statue of the vampire woman in front of the green disc and handed Clary a bowl of dirt, sparkling with little bits of crystal and she too her place, waiting at the green disc. 

Alec finished with Maia and Jace and Magnus handed Jace a bowl of lightly scented water that seemed to refract the little light in the cavern. He took it and held his station in front of the blue disc, Alec directing Maia in front of the werewolf statue in front of it.

Magnus went to Isabelle, Meliorn already waiting in front of the fairy statue, and offered her a small trinket of brightly colored ribbons, and a stick of incense. She took them to her yellow disc and waited.

Magnus took his place in front of the warlock statue and turned to see Alec take his place at the red disc behind him. 

“Okay.” Magnus said to the group, passing a purple and silver candle to each of the group standing at the statue. 

“Once the elements activate the discs, the plates should pop up. We need to activate them in the counterclockwise motion, starting with Izzy. First we activate each disc, then we flip each statue and then everyone steps on the plates at the same time to reactivate the ley lines. Ready?”

A chorus of “ready” rang out. 

“Alright Izzy, you start.”

Isabelle turned to the disc, lighting the incense and blowing the smoke through the ribbons to the disc. A soft click sounded and she looked to her left signaling Clary. 

Clary grabbed a fistful of the dirt in the bowl, tossing it at the green disc and scattering it across its surface. A click sounded behind her and she looked to Jace. 

Jace sloshed his bowl forward, flinging the water against the blue disc, his click sounding only a second after. He looked to Alec who took a deep breath and summoned the fire to his hands. 

He pushed and pressed the fire out and against the disc and the final click echoed through the cavern. 

“Now the plates,” Magnus instructed, “Izzy.”

Isabelle stepped forward and tapped the raised plate, the statue in front of Meliorn turning with a groan and grating sound. When it came to a halt, Clary stepped on hers and then Jace and then Alec. Each of the statues turned, the Shadowhunters facing out and the Downworlders now facing inward.

“OK, now the filters,” Magnus said. Each of the Shadowhunter stand ins at the altar lit their silver and purple candle. Simon’s the smallest of the group, the wick trimmed low to offer only a small flicker of flame. 

“All together. 3.. 2.. 1.” They all stepped forward and flash of light filled the room, the lines darting between shadowhunter and downworlder, surging in colors and bright white light, running like a current between them. 

When it cleared, they all looked around at one another. Alec looked down at his arms, the familiar swirling black patterns of his runes back where they belonged. 

Magnus held up his hands, fire springing to his fingers and dancing around in fluid grace. 

Meliorn’s ears and familiar leaf marking were back and Maia seemed back to normal as she flexed her fingers and grew her nails a few inches in test.

 

“It worked!” Izzy cried rushing forward to Clary. “Are you all right? What about the Mark?”

Isabelle stared at Clary’s forehead as if she’d be able to see it there. 

Clary shrugged. “I dunno how do we tell?”

Magnus picked up a rock and tossed it at Simon. It hit him in the shoulder. “OW! What was that for?” Simon complained. 

“Well, it isn’t with Simon.” Magnus said, picking up a second rock and tossing it at Clary. Just before it could hit a wall of light shot up and shattered the rock into 7 pieces all of them ricocheting back to Magnus. 

“Looks like it’s still yours.” Magnus studied Clary for a moment. “And it doesn’t seem to be killing you.”

Clary grinned, and Isabelle gasped. “Clary!”

“What?”

Isabelle took Clary’s face in her hands, “Your, your teeth.” 

Clary opened her mouth and sure enough her canines were longer and sharper than normal. Not fangs, but definitely more prominent than before. 

They turned to Simon. “How do you feel?” 

“Fine,” Simon shrugged. 

Meliorn looked him over. “Take off your shirt.” He commanded. 

“Excuse me, what?” Simon protested. 

Meliorn rolled his eyes, “Just take it off.” 

Simon did so and Meliorn turned him to show his back to the others, where a pale faded Iratze rune could be seen.

“So the lighter filter worked?” Simon asked hopefully. 

Magnus nodded. “Looks like it. Although, we might want to be easy on the sun test. You might not be as immune as you were before.”

Simon frowned. He looked up to the holes in the ceiling letting in little shafts of light and took a deep breath. He reached his hand forward into one of the beams, closing his eyes tight waiting for the pain. Nothing happened. He smiled in delight. “Hey, I’m still a Daylighter!” 

The room shook a bit and they all turned to see Jace smashing the colored discs to pieces. He shrugged. “Don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” he explained. They all agreed and when they left there was nothing left of the turning statues and colored discs, only the airy script on the walls that foretold of histories and warnings. 

As they left the cavern, Magnus used his magic to create an avalanche, sealing the cavern closed and closing the ley line grid inside.

~~~

And that was how the myth of the Balancing ended. It was enacted for the first time in millenia and the for the last time in history.

THE END.


End file.
